Sand Storm
by Zanza the warrior of shadows
Summary: I don't own either anime. During a battle with Naraku, Naraku and Kagome are teleported to the world of Naruto. Will she find her way back or will love keep her here?
1. Suna?

Chapter 1: Suna?

She was not sure what she was doing here. One minute she was in Naraku's clutches, a cloud of miasma surrounding them. The others had been knocked out or were busy fighting a reincarnation or a lackey of Naraku. He had approached her while the others were distracted. He had his hand wrapped firmly around her throat, cutting off her much needed air. She had been trying to free herself and Naraku was trying to get the jewel from her. She couldn't let him get a hold of the jewel so she threw her purification power out around her. It had wounded him and called the jewel into her body. But how she had gotten here was a mystery. She just knew her and Naraku had somehow been taken here. He had been weakened and fled and she, she was stranded in the middle of a desert.

She groaned and looked around. It was hot and she was in clothes that did not fit the climate. The fight had taken place on a mountain with snow falling around them, so she had worn clothes that would keep her warm. Now it was a hindrance. She just pulled off a few layers and abandoned them. She had no way to carry them and sadly she was unarmed. If someone had attacked her, she would have no way to protect herself. She would have to hope to get to a city or village without incident. She didn't know what she would do for money though. She would worry about that when she found shelter, for now she had to get moving. She could tell that there was a sand storm coming.

In Suna

They looked out the gate to see a woman walking, arms wrapped around her, a cloth blowing in the wind around her hair as sand particles flew past. Hair that was dimmed by a layer of sand was like a flag around her. Her clothes were torn and she was barefoot. Only someone crazy would walk through a sand storm. Sand storms killed many people and got others lost. How she managed to make it out alive and get here was a mystery. The guards looked at her and the people murmured. The moment she made it through the gates, she collapsed face first into the dirt, the cloth being blown away to show pale, blemish free skin on an exhausted but beautiful face.

"Get the Kazekage," a man with purple markings on the visible side of his face said. The other half of his face was covered by a white cloth.

"What is it?" The red head with teal colored eyes asked as he approached in his red and white garbs, the Kazekage hat upon his head.

"This woman collapsed within the gates after walking through a sand storm," he replied, many villagers looking on. He came closer and looked down to see a woman unconscious, her clothes torn and her face flushed, possibly from the heat and exhaust of the journey through a sand storm. He could also see dried blood on her clothes. But he could not sense any chakra on her.

"Take her to the hospital and inform me of when she awakes," he said as he turned away from the sight of such a beautiful female. The kunoichi of the village watched him, hearts in their eyes and a blush on their faces. Their Kazekage did not pay them much attention. He had a lot of paperwork to do, and hopefully an interrogation of the woman that came to this village.

Three days later

She groaned as her eyes burned behind her eyelids. She groaned again in pain and drew the blankets up past her head… Wait… Blankets? Her eyes opened and she waited a little while before pulling the blankets down and sitting up. She looked around to see plain white walls and smelled a scent that was much like the sterile smell of a hospital. Even the blankets that covered her were like the ones found in a hospital. She groaned at the headache she felt and her stomach rumbled its hunger.

"You are finally awake," a scratchy, elderly voice said. Kagome turned and looked at the woman with liver spots and light purple, slightly grey hair. Her eyes were old and held a sort of chill to them.

"Where am I?" She rubbed at her temples.

"You are in a hospital in Suna." She looked Kagome over with a critical eye. "You seem well enough."

"How long have I been here?" She rubbed at her sore throat and the elderly woman held forward a cup of water. She thanked her quietly and sipped from the glass. The water soothed her throat and relieved it of the itch that was there.

"Three days. The Kazekage will be here shortly." She turned away. The girl had no chakra, but there was a weird energy about her. She exited and nodded to the two jounin guards. They were more of a safety precaution than anything else.

"What did you find, Chiyo?" The Kazekage asked.

"Gaara-sama, she has no chakra, but there is a weird energy around her. I would still be careful around her." He nodded and silently dismissed her. He entered the hospital room to see the woman sitting on her bed and looking down at her stomach from the lifted hospital gown. The blankets in her lap hid her from the waist down. He could see the countless scars on her stomach and the new stitches the medic nins had given her. There were so many. Only shinobi had that many scars.

"I see you have awakened," he said and she quickly pulled the hospital gown down. She was blushing in embarrassment. "What is your name and why are you here?"

"My name is Kagome and I only happened across this village while in a sand storm." She wasn't lying. "Is there anything to eat?"

He heard her stomach growl and looked at her. His eyes held no emotions. "How did you survive that sand storm? No one is crazy enough to transit the desert during a sand storm."

"I did not fight it. It took me here." She remembered how the storm had pulled and pushed her along, never letting up and never allowing her any rest. "I do not fight nature."

"The sand storm took you here?" That was the first he ever heard of this happening. She didn't seem to be lying though, and nature was something many tried to fight. Those that had, had ended up hurt in the end.

"Yes." She nodded and rubbed her growling stomach. She really was hungry.

"Someone will bring you some food. I will have more questions for you when you have been feed, bathed and clothed. Someone will take you to me when you are done." She watched him leave and a few moments later someone entered her room. It was a blonde with for pigtails on the back of her head in a purple outfit. She held forward a tray and Kagome took it, thanking her before eating. The food didn't taste good and was a bit bland. She finished it because of her hunger. She used the shower connected to her room and dressed in the clothes the blonde brought with her.

"Come, Gaara-sama will see you now." She looked back at the girl. She looked pretty with all the sand being gone from her skin and hair. Her eyes, she noticed, were a bright sapphire color. They were almost mesmerizing. "I've brought her."

"Good. You can go, Temari." He looked over Kagome's appearance. Her hair was still wet and her eyes open. They were such clear pools of sapphire. Her pale skin brought them out even more. She was wearing an old pair of Temari's clothes. She was smaller than his sister, but certain parts of her body were more enhanced than his sister's. He shook himself from his thoughts. "You will be monitored while you are here, until I say otherwise. You will have to excuse our behavior. We've been attacked recently, so we do not trust outsiders."

"I understand." She nodded and looked at him. It was hard to tell he was thinking or feeling at a glance but there was a look in his eyes that she was vaguely familiar with. She ignored it and left his office. A guard led her to where she would be staying. It was an empty sand house. There was only a bed and dresser in the bedroom, nothing else. Not even blankets or close, but at least there was running water. She would have to find a job and soon. The guard left her but she could feel eyes on her. She walked around the village. It was still early so she would attempt to find a job. There were no flower shops, or places the sell herbs. She doubted she could get a job at the hospital. Her hearing ki would be questioned, and she didn't need that. She was told she was a good cook so why not try that?

"What can I get for you?" The lady asked when she came in.

"Oh, I'm not here to buy anything." The woman scowled at her.

"The bathroom is for paying customers and employees only."

"I'm not here to use the bathroom. I was wondering if you were in need of another cook." She smiled her best in this weird village.

"I'm not hiring just anyone," she mocked.

"Perhaps a taste test," Kagome said as she headed towards the back. There were not a lot of customers in the shop. She looked around at the ingredients they had and pulled a few things from the shelves. There were no seasonings, but there were chili peppers in abundance. She quickly went about cooking up a simple dish, with a few chili peppers and nuts that grew in the desert. Within minutes she had the steaming dish in front of the plump lady. She tasted it. It was not nearly as bland as what the other cook cooked and could possibly bring in more customers.

"You're hired. You'll start tomorrow." She walked away.

"Why are there no herbs for seasoning?" Kagome asked as she followed after the woman.

"They herbs don't survive in our environment, and no one dare traverse the desert this time of year. Our stock is all out. We have seeds but they won't grow."

"Can I have them?" She looked at the woman.

"Why would I care?" Kagome smiled and picked up the seeds. She had seen a green house, but figured it was for medicinal herb growth. She would try to find a few things to plant the seeds in. She was sure she could get them to grow. There would be no need to rely on trade for herbs if it did help.

She left the restaurant she would be working at, the seeds in a bag at her side. She went to what looked to be a gardening shop and looked around. She had no money, but she would try to bargain with the pregnant woman that was running the store. She stumbled and Kagome caught her before she could hit the floor. Kagome made sure her balance had returned before stepping back.

"Thank you. That would have been a nasty fall."

"It isn't a problem." Kagome smiled at the woman. "I wouldn't want you or your child to get hurt." She looked the woman over. She looked to be due any day now.

"I've been really clumsy these past few days." She rubbed her swollen belly. "My husband would usually look after me, but he's away on a mission, so I have to do everything on my own."

"You should rest." She helped the waddling woman to a stool. She propped the woman's feet up.

"There is so much for me to do," the woman protested until there was a pain in her abdomen. She gave a moan of pain as the floor became covered in water. Kagome helped the woman to her feet and quickly led her to the bedroom in the back. She laid her down, legs propped open and her panties pulled away.

"Can you do your breathing exercises?"

"I need to get to a hospital," she moaned out.

"There is no time for that," Kagome insisted as she set to work gathering what she would need. The woman was doing her breathing exercises and Kagome worked quickly, watching and measuring the dilation of the woman. "I know it hurts but it's almost time," Kagome assured. She had practice with delivering babies. She did so in a few villages they traveled through. She just continued to watch. "When I say push, push, alright?" The woman gave another pain filled moan but continued to breathe as she nodded her head. Sweat made her hair stick to her face and neck and she was clutching at her sheets. "Push." The woman gave a push and started swearing about castrating her husband for doing this to her. She had the woman push until the child was free and it gave a loud cry. Kagome easily cut the umbilical cord and washed the child off before handing her to the tired woman.

"He's beautiful and healthy," Kagome told her with a smile. "Would you like me to help you to the hospital?"

"Please?" The woman looked at her. She was so tired.

"Very well." Kagome helped the woman stand and helped her through the door, babe in arms. She supported the woman and people watched as the three of them walked towards the hospital. She easily got the woman checked in and the medics had wished to look both the woman and child over. Kagome followed after them and stayed with the woman as the doctors looked over the child first.

"Thank you." She smiled. "How can I repay you?" She saw the bag of seeds in Kagome's hand.

"You don't have to repay me," Kagome said.

"I insist. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't help me. Take what you need from my shop as my thanks."

"Alright." She sighed. Part of her old life was helping people with no cost to them, but she knew this was a different world and she would need money to get by. She couldn't just go hunt or forage for food. When the doctors returned with the child she turned and left. She grabbed a few pots, a shovel and a bag of fertilizer as well as a watering can before heading home, locking the woman's house behind her. She made it home and started her work. She would have to make sure the seeds germinated before she actually planted them. It would take a few days, normally, but she was a miko with the power to encourage growth, if she focused enough.

She smiled at the little sprouts and planted them, putting them in the kitchen, where it was cooler. She washed her hands and closed her windows before heading up to her room. It had been a long day.

Author's Note: Here is a new story. I know, this one is a little slow to start, but the next chapter should be more exciting. I had a few requests to do a Kagome/Gaara pairing, so here is the start. Also, I was able to recover my documents, however I cannot read them. I have Microsoft office 2007 on my computer, but I need to install Microsoft office 2010 to read those documents. As soon as I get tht, I'll update my other stories. Hope you liked this one.


	2. Weird Energy

Chapter 2: Weird Energy

She awoke early to get in a shower and to get dressed. She was heading to the spare room in which she kept the potted plants. They were just sprouts for now. It would take some time for the herbs to grow, but she had time. She just took up the watering can and fed the plants before heading out. She had work today and she planned on visiting the woman whose baby she had birthed during her lunch break to see how the two were doing. She hoped the woman's husband returned soon.

She sighed and threw on an apron as she made it to her work. She was a bit early but it gave her some time to familiarize herself with the kitchen and the layout of the restaurant. From what the owner said, they were not busy all that much anymore. She might have to close down if they didn't get more customers soon. They stopped coming in when the restaurant ran out of herbs and seasonings. Kagome was trying to prevent that. It was why she learned how to cook different ways.

She looked out at the elderly couple. There were no waiters in right now, and they wouldn't be in for another hour. It was early still, the sun barely rising. She just took up her notepad and walked to the elderly pair. She recognized one as the woman Chiyo. She put on a smile and made it to the table.

"What can I get for you two?" She looked at the elderly pair as they bickered. It wasn't how a married couple bickered and her smile softened. It was a sibling love. The two ordered and she walked back into the kitchen to prepare the food. She knew the spicy taste shouldn't be over powering so she barely added and chili and focused on a lighter taste, with a hint of the desert nuts. She finished and placed the orders on the plates and moved to the elderly two, placing what they ordered down. "I hope you enjoy it." She smiled and walked back to the kitchen to wait for more customers.

The two dug in and they looked surprised before taking their time to eat it, trying to pick up on every flavor. It seemed to mix just perfectly and the finished, leaving enough money for the food and a nice tip for the girl that took their order and made their food. The owner was walking them out.

"You've outdone yourself today," the male commented. "It wasn't spicy like usual. I won't have to sit on the toilet half the day." He laughed as he opened the door.

"Yes, such a great blend," Chiyo said with a laugh. "It has woke me up." She looked at the girl in the kitchen window. "A treasure you found there. We'll be back tomorrow morning." They were gone.

Kagome moved to clean up the table the pair had evacuated from and saw the sum of money. She separated the amount for the food and saw that they left her a good tip. She smiled as she placed the money in a pocket on the apron and stacked the dishes in one hand, wiping the table down with the other. She moved to the kitchen and washed the plates and the pots she used to cook for the elderly two. It was still early and slow.

In Kazekage tower

Gaara looked at the elderly pair. They were not bickering, instead commenting about the girl that worked in the restaurant down the road. They were saying something about the food being a change, and the elderly man wasn't running for the toilet like he usually was this early in the morning. No, the two seemed to be in a good mood, instead of vindictive towards each other. He would maybe go there for lunch, after a portion of the paperwork he had was done.

He sighed as he saw the amount of paperwork placed on his desk. It would take him all day to get through it. He sighed and shook his head before closing his door and sitting down. He had some work to get done.

The hospital

Kagome was on her lunch break. She had made a decent amount of money in tips today for her cooking. The boss lady had been so impressed with the overall atmosphere. Usually everyone complained about the lack of spices and the over-spiciness of the dishes. Today wasn't the case. Yes, she had two chefs in the kitchen, but Kagome, the new girl was lightly correcting the male and scolding him. It was a funny sight to see such a petite girl correct the much bigger male.

Kagome stepped into the woman's room to see her with her daughter in her arms. The babe was giggling and smiling up at her mother. Kagome smiled at the sight. The child was not yet strong enough for other big movements.

"I see you and your daughter are doing well," she said and the woman looked at her.

"We are. I never caught your name," she said as she smiled at Kagome.

"I'm Kagome," she said with a smile. She moved closer and the little girl looked at her with a look of curiosity before giggling and smiling at her.

"I'm Kiyomei. And this little one I decided to name Kanamei." She smiled. "I'm waiting for her father to return from his mission, and then I can go home and look after my little girl. He should be back any day now."

There was a ruckus in the hall, medic nin rushing around with a man on a stretcher. There were drops of blood falling to the floor. Kagome watched and turned back to the woman. She almost looked devastated.

"Are you alright?" Kagome asked her.

"I think that was my husband," she murmured. She looked ready to cry.

"I'll go see," Kagome said. "Eat this. I cooked it with lighter flavored seasonings." She placed the food on the table and left the room, closing the door behind her. She followed the trail of blood.

"We're losing him," a medic said, a green glow in their hands. "There is too much damage. I can't do everything at once."

Kagome could hear them. She entered the room quietly as the chaos seemed to spread. The medic that was trying to heal the man was close to collapsing due to chakra depletion and the others were not nearly as talented as the man when it came to healing. She moved past them with a little trouble but she concentrated and placed her hands over the man. They made to pull her away but something blocked them and her hands started to glow a bright blue, which rushed into the man. He gave a cry of pain as her power forced bones back together, bone mending, and the tear in his lungs sewing together as her power forced the blood out of his lungs. She managed to stop the bleeding, severed arteries being sewed back together. Muscle mended and the wounds were closing quickly, far faster than what any nin was capable of. All that was left of the damage were thin, light scars. She stepped back, calling her power back into herself. She was glad she had learned to control her miko ki, or she would be dead tired right now.

The medics rushed to check on the man to see that his pulse was relaxed, his breathing strong and unlabored. He was sleeping and they turned to look at her. She was slowly walking out of the door. She had to get back to work and she would check on the tiny family after her shift was over. She smiled. She was of some use her after all.

The Kazekage tower

A team of nin were reporting in. They were injured and he was told their mortally wounded leader had been rushed to the emergency room. They were sad and somber, knowing that chances of him living were slim. He had been looking forward to being back with his pregnant wife, but he had sacrificed himself to ensure the others got back relatively unscathed.

"Kazekage-sama," a medic panted as she ran in. She saw the group of nin but looked back to the Kazekage. "We were not expecting him to make it. Our best nin collapsed from chakra depletion while trying to heal the major damage." The team looked about ready to break down. "A woman healed him within minutes." She started to gulp down air. "He is resting now."

"A woman healed him?" Gaara looked at her.

"Yes. She didn't use chakra; at least that energy didn't feel like chakra. It was warm." She stood straight. "It was a woman with pale skin, raven colored hair and sapphire eyes."

He knew who this woman spoke of; the woman Kagome that had entered the village roughly five days ago. Chiyo had said she held no chakra but a weird energy instead. He would have to look more into her later.

Author's note: Here is the next chapter. I am on a roll so I will be starting on the next chapter now. As always, read, review, and ENJOY!


	3. Save Him

Chapter 3: Save Him

She was finishing up her shift now. She had returned slightly late from her break, but because the number of customers had increased since the morning her boss was fine with it, as long as it didn't happen often. Kagome was relieved and he quickly cooked up three orders that were waiting. She quickly placed them on the plates and had called over a waiter with the order. The three nin seemed to dig in enthusiastically. She smiled and looked at the time. She was done with her shift for today.

"I'm heading home now," she told her boss and she nodded. The restaurant was almost full, which has been a first in months. Hiring Kagome had been the best thing she had ever done. Kagome's cooking had brought in more customers and they tipped well because of the change.

Kagome walked to the hospital and entered Kiyomei's room. She looked sad, almost like someone died. Kagome approached and placed a hand on her shoulder. She smiled at her.

"How can you smile when my husband can possibly be dead?" She was positively hysterical.

"I smile because he isn't dead," Kagome said softly. Her smile softened. "He is just resting." She rubbed the woman's back.

"Oh thank Kami," she cried, happy tears coming down her face. "I thought I lost him."

"He is a fighter. He wouldn't give up so easily."

"The Kazekage wants to see you," a jounin said as he and his partner walked in. She nodded.

"I'll be back later to check up on you and Kanamei as soon as I can," she told Kiyomei. The woman nodded and watched as Kagome was led away. She wondered what the Kazekage wanted with the woman that has been nothing but kind towards her and her small family.

"What is it the Kazekage wishes to see me for?" She asked the men but they didn't say anything as they led her through town, people whispering about the scene while mixing in the rumors that she was the new chef for the would be failing restaurant. They were making comments about going there when she was working.

"We brought her, Kazekage-sama," they said as they stopped in front of a desk. The red head behind the desk signaled for them to leave.

"There is something you are hiding from me," he almost growled out. "What is the energy that you wield?"

"That energy is called purification ki," she said honestly. "I was a traveling miko before I came to these lands. I healed the ill and injured and protected those that could not protect themselves."

"Why stay here then?" He looked at her.

"Why spend my time traveling by myself?" She looked him in the eye, and she finally picked up on one thing he was feeling; lonely. "There are people here I can help."

Gaara looked at her. She seemed sincere and he had saved the life of one of his top nin. He could not have her leave because he owed her for the life she saved.

"Why did you save him?" He looked at her and sadness seemed to enter her eyes.

"I couldn't let him leave his family behind. He is a father and his daughter will need him in her life." Yes, she had lost her father when she was still young and her mother was pregnant with her brother. She did not have that male role model in her life. "A daughter needs he father's love, support and protection." Gaara had to agree, even though his own father did not show any love or support for his children, and even though his own father tried to have him killed.

"You can go," he said. He had much to think about in regards to this woman. A lot of what she said and did was not a threat towards the village, instead she was trying to help.

Elsewhere

He was weak after that attack from the miko he had thought was weak. Yes, he would regenerate, but he would have to absorb some truly evil beings to heal and regain the strength he lost. Regrettably, she had gotten away with the completed jewel. He wanted to roar at this fact. He should not have underestimated her. Yes, he had injured her, but she had done more damage to him than he had done to her. He could hear a group of people moving towards his slumped form. His whole lower half was missing and his back was against a tree. He should have been dead but he wasn't.

"What's this?" A voice hissed out and he could see the figure that came through the trees with two others. The one that spoke had a face the resembled a snakes. His hair was long and he was dressed in a light brown with a purple cord that held a bow in the back. One figure was a male with glasses and silver colored hair. His eyes were a dark color and there was a smirk on his face. The other figure was the youngest. He had a cold look on his face and pale skin. His hair was dark in color and he was dressed in white and black with a purple cord tied in the same fashion as the first man.

"Looks to be a dying man," the silver haired male said.

"I am far from dead," he mocked back, crimson eyes glaring at the one that dared say he was dying.

"Who could do damage like that?" The third said, looking at him.

Naraku started to plot. He could get these three to do his dirty work. He would get them to assemble some people he could absorb, then he could get them to capture Kagome, the miko bitch that had done this to him.

"A woman with immense power," he stated. Yes, he did not want her dead. He desired the woman.

"A woman," the silver haired male scoffed. "You must be weak to have been beat by a woman."

Naraku scowled and shot a tentacle forward, wrapping it around the silver haired male's throat. "I am far from weak. I could kill you now, even in this state, if I so desired it." He tightened his hold to prove his point. "She is strong, stronger than you are." He lifted the male and dropped him from a great height. "Do not insult me again, human," he snarled.

"You say that as if you are not human," the first male spoke.

"I am not human. A human would not have survived getting ripped in half," he scoffed. "A human would not have had the power to get away either." He retracted the tentacle.

"I say we kill him now," the silver haired male said, upset at being called weak.

"Don't get so hasty, Kabuto," the first male said as he formulated a plan in his head. The male before them could come in handy, and the female this male spoke of could be used to breed him the perfect body with the Uchiha in his possession. "Retrieve the male. You will heal him."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto replied.

"Come, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru said to the other male. Sasuke gave Naraku one last look before following after the male he was planning on killing. He would just have to wait a little longer, and find this woman the injured male spoke of. She sounded worthy enough to reestablish his clan with. He would just have to wait.

Suna

Kagome went back to the hospital and entered the room. The male had been wheeled in here. She could see the woman sitting in a chair and stroking his face lovingly, her babe asleep in the crib between the beds. Kagome smiled at the sight of them.

"When can the three of you go home?" She asked in a whisper and the woman smiled at her.

"As soon as he wakes up," she said. "The medics are surprised with his recovery."

"That's good." Kagome smiled.

"The food was good," Kiyomei remarked. "No one can get food to taste like that."

"I've had a lot of practice." She sat next to the woman.

"The man that marries you will be lucky," she commented. Kagome was proving to be such a sweet and caring girl.

They didn't know that they were being watched by the Kazekage at that moment. He could see the sadness in Kagome's eyes, even if she were smiling. The woman next to Kagome was smiling as she looked down at the once injured male. Did she know that Kagome was the one to heal him? What would she do if she did find out? Would she question Kagome like he had?

The child cried and Kagome stood, grabbing the bottle and picking up the wailing child. She smiled down at the little one and placed the bottle in her mouth, quieting her. The child looked up at her and she rocked her softly as she hummed a sweet tune. The child's eyes closed as she continued to feed. She soon finished and was out cold. Kagome placed her back in the crib and covered her. The desert got cold at night after all.

"You would make a wonderful mother as well," Kiyomei whispered.

"I acted as a mother once, to an orphaned boy," Kagome said, tears in her eyes.

"What happened?" She could hear the sadness in Kagome's voice.

"We were attacked and got separated. I do not know where he is now."

"That is horrible." She felt sorry for the woman. "You will find him."

"That isn't likely," Kagome said. She was stranded in a completely different universe after all. "He is thousands of miles away by now. He is safe. That is all that matters right now." The woman seemed to nod at this. "Get some sleep. You will need it. And you'll never know. He might wake up while you rest."

"Good night, Kagome," she murmured as she climbed back into bed. Kagome left but she could tell that Kiyomei was already in the land of dreams. She just walked out of the hospital and down the road to her home. She looked at her plants and watered them before climbing up the stairs to her bed.

Kazekage tower

Gaara sat and thought about Kagome. She had once taken care of child that was not hers by birth and she healed those that were injured, no questions asked. She was looking after the woman married to the man that she healed and she would have been an excellent mother. She was so caring and she had not proved to be a threat to the village. Instead she was healing people and looking after a mother and her child while the man was out of commission. She was a great cook from what his shinobi were saying. She was employed in the restaurant Chiyo and her brother frequented.

He sighed as a migraine came over him. Even with Shikaku gone, it was still hard for him to get to sleep at night. He was lucky to get four hours of sleep a night. It was getting to be less now. Something was always keeping him awake, or something was always coming up. The village was getting attacked by sound as well. It has almost been a week since. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

"Gaara, you should get some sleep," Temari said as she walked into his office. "You look tired."

"There has been a lot of paperwork, and too many attacks on this village," he commented. He was so tired of it, and it was aging him faster than he liked. At least that was how he felt.

Temari sighed as she worried about her brother. He barely slept anymore. She had tried slipping him a few things that would help with sleep but they never seemed to have any effect on her little brother. She was getting desperate to find something that would put him to sleep. Shikaku wasn't an issue anymore. He had been removed from her brother months ago. She knew he was used to not getting any sleep but it was taking a toll on him. Bags were starting to form beneath his eyes. She wanted him to find some sort of sleep. She sighed. She had a few things to prepare. Shikamaru was going to be arriving for a visit tomorrow. Yes, she was secretly dating the Konoha nin. Not many people could care because he didn't act any different in public, but it was different when they were alone. The genius didn't have to think when he was alone with her. He got to sleep then, unlike in Konoha.

She sighed. Perhaps she would go to the medics and get their opinion on what she should do to help her brother. She would do anything to make sure he got a decent night of sleep instead of staying up just about all night and sleeping from three or four to sunrise. She would worry about it in the morning. For now she was going to sleep and then tidy up her house. She hoped Kankuro got back alright. Lately their nin had been getting ambushed returning to the village. That was what happened to the squad that had come back today. She still didn't know the condition of the man she had helped drag to the emergency room. She was hoping the man lived.

In the Desert

He was heading to Suna on his own. He had received permission from the Hokage to take some time off outside of the village. It had been almost three months since he had seen Temari, and he was due for a visit. Up ahead he could see a group of sound almost running towards where Suna was. He silently cursed to himself and started to run after them, doing hand signs for his shadow binding jutsu. He had learned how to be able to move after casting the jutsu. It had taken him long enough to learn how to and his father was no help in any of that. It was his genius that helped him, so he called his technique and quickly killed the nin before deciding to take a short rest. Using that much chakra was never a good thing.

He had heard from Temari that sound was attacking Suna more often, hardly giving them enough time to rest. There had been multiple ambushes on returning teams and it was becoming fatal for many of the nin. They had even lost some children in the attacks. They were trying to find a way to protect the village but nothing was helping, not even the sand storms that were becoming more frequent.

He sighed and continued forth, running across of returning nin, amongst them was Kankuro and he wasn't looking all that well. He was bleeding profusely and consciousness had left him. He silently cursed and had helped pick up the man. They started to sprint back to the village, which wasn't much farther off. He kept running until he arrived at the emergency room with the man. The medics started to run with the man on a gurney. They were yelling things at each other and sending others to retrieve more capable nin. Kankuro and a few of the others were in really bad shape. Some looked like they would not last the night. He just hoped that what he feared would not come to pass.

Kazekage tower

He had heard that his brother had returned in about the same condition as the other squad. If that were true, then there was nothing the other medic nin could do. He would have to go get Kagome and have her heal his brother, like she had done for the other man. He just stood from his seat and ran through the village to the house she was staying at. He pounded loudly on the door and could hear shuffling as she came to the door. She opened it and he grabbed her arm and started to run again, half dragging her behind him. She was not fully awake to comprehend what was going on.

He entered the room Kankuro was in to see Temari and Shikamaru there yelling orders at the medic nin; at least on Temari's part. Shikamaru was looking disgruntled. They all looked at him when he entered and he pushed Kagome forward.

"Save him," Gaara ordered. He was trying not to show how he felt.

Kagome looked at the man on the table. He looked as though he was in so much pain. She sighed and remained calm as she concentrated. She closed her eyes and allowed her ki to come to the surface. She placed her hands above his body and pushed her ki forward. He gave the same cry of pain as her ki forced bones back into place before melding them back together. Kankuro regained consciousness through the middle of it, increasing his cries of pain. It felt like his veins were on fire.

"Stop her! She's hurting him!" Temari yelled, but Gaara glared at them, making them stop in their tracks. "Gaara!"

Kagome ignored the cries of the woman and was now forcing tendon and muscle to reattach, making muscle come back together and having the skin knit itself back together. She stopped and brushed the sweat from her brow as Kankuro stared up at her. That was the most painful thing he had ever felt before. He sat up slowly, his body stiff from the rushed healing.

"Damn that hurt," he complained.

"You're alright!" And Temari hugged her brother. She could not be happier.

Author's note: 2,960 words before this note. This is the second chapter I wrote and posted today, so enjoy. I'll try to write another chapter since I am having a lot of inspiration for this story so far. Tell me what you think and you might get lucky with a third chapter in one day.


	4. Charity

Chapter 4: Charity

She wanted to go home right now. There were too many people staring at her, including the man she had just healed. It was making her uncomfortable, but a yell of "He isn't going to make it" knocked her out of the awkward silence. She exited the room and ran towards the sound of several loud voices. She entered and pushed them out of the way before doing for this man what she had done for the other moments ago. She would be tired after this, but she would feel guilty if she let this man die. She could save him so she pushed all thoughts from her head and ignored all the yells around her. The medic nin were trying to pull her away but she threw a barrier up around her and the man and continued on, ignoring his pained cries. She knew that setting the bones was what pained them. There was no way to avoid that though so she continued. When she was finished she brushed the sweat from her brow and the medics looked over the man, placing him in a cleared status and pulled her along to the next unfortunate soul.

Till dawn she was healing the injured shinobi. Their own medics did not know the proper way to set bones and could not heal punctured lungs. She did though. She knew how to heal every part of a person, and even how to grow missing limbs. It was a talent only she possessed. Yes, other miko could heal, just not to the same extent as her. She had books that explained the healing process, she was just able to accelerate it. She nearly collapsed, but a hand steadied her. It was the Kazekage. She looked up at him and moved away once she was sure she was steady. She had to hurry home, take a shower then head to work. She was dead tired. Sure, healing one person didn't do much to her energy but she had healed roughly a dozen men and women within a span of two or three hours with no rest. Her energy was depleted.

"Rest," he told her.

"I have to get to work," she told him as she moved to go home.

"I will talk to your boss. Go home and rest. You deserve it for saving their lives." His usually cold eyes were sincere. She could not argue with him. She could hardly keep her eyes open as it was so she nodded and made no further protest. She just slumped slightly and made her way home, eyes half closed. When she got home she watered her plants and headed up stairs to her room. She just collapsed into a dead sleep before her tired body fully laid on her mattress. She could probably sleep the day away right now, but she wanted to visit Kiyomei and Kanamei in the afternoon. A nap will have to do.

The hospital

Temari and Shikamaru stood behind Gaara as he looked at Kankuro. Kankuro looked a bit tired and confused; confused as to who the woman that saved him was. Even he knew he could have died. From what Temari and Gaara said, the medic nin had little to no affect on the damage to his body. But that woman had healed him within moments, even if it was really painful. He owed her his life.

"Who was that woman?" Kankuro asked. Shikamaru was wondering the same, and Temari didn't trust her, even if she did manage to save her brother's life.

"That was Kagome," Gaara said. "She came to the village while you were away on a mission." He could tell that Temari didn't trust the girl. "She is a priestess."

"Priestess? Does that mean she's a virgin?" Kankuro looked surprised. "No way, she was way too hot to be a virgin." He winced at the pain from his sudden movements.

"Shut up, Kankuro," Gaara said coldly.

"I don't think we can trust her," Temari said. "We don't know anything about her, Gaara."

"She's saved a lot of our men," Gaara said. "She's given us no reason not to trust her. We owe her a lot for what she's done for us." He sighed. Yes, he didn't fully trust her. Something was off about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Kankuro, go home and get some rest. Temari, enjoy your time with Shikamaru. I have work I have to get to." Gaara turned and left the room. He could see a woman and man leaving with a baby in the woman's arms. They seemed so happy, and he knew it was the man Kagome first saved. He was going home with his small family. Gaara couldn't help but envy their happiness.

He sighed as he headed to the Kazekage tower and to his desk full of paperwork. He was not looking forward to it, and he had to talk to Kagome's boss before he even started on his own paperwork. He entered the restaurant, which wasn't busy yet, and approached the woman.

"Kazekage-sama," she greeted. He never entered this establishment.

"Kagome will not be coming in today," he said coldly. "She has been up all night healing injured shinobi. She is tired."

"I see." She didn't say anything. Though she could use the girl right about now, she was not one to go against the orders of their leader. "Have a nice day, Kazekage-sama." She bowed and he left the restaurant and quickly went to the tower to work on his paperwork. A leader's job was never done.

Temari's Apartment

"You must be tired," Temari said to Shikamaru.

"I ran across a group of sound that came to attack Suna. I killed them then ran across Kankuro and his team and ran half way across the desert with him on my back." He stretched and held back a yawn.

"Go get some rest," she said as she pushed him towards the bedroom. "I need to tidy up a little bit and buy a few things in the market." He nodded and headed towards the room, removing his vest in the process. It wasn't anything she hadn't seen before anyways. He wasn't shy or modest around her anymore. They'd already slept together multiple times, not that anyone knew. But she took up a canvas bag and headed out as the bedroom door closed. She smiled but erased it as soon as she closed her door.

She walked down the street and spotted the man that she helped to the hospital. He was smiling and talking to a woman that held a little girl. They looked so happy together.

"You should meet her, hun. She gave birth to our little Kanamei." The woman was smiling down at the baby. "Her name is Kagome. She's been checking in on me and our little baby."

"There have been rumors around the hospital of a woman named Kagome," he murmured. "Some say she healed me." He had been thankful. Most of the medics were unable to do anything about the injuries he had sustained. Other rumors were that she saved Kankuro and several other nin. At least, that was what was whispered as he was leaving with his wife. He owed this woman his life.

Temari sighed. The little family was thankful for Kagome. The others were not so thankful. They could not see how a non-nin could hold such power. She didn't trust the girl, even if she did save her brother. It was probably to get them to drop their guard. She wouldn't do it though. She might have only been paranoid because of the recent attacks on Suna. There was no way to tell if Kagome was part of the attacks. She would just watch the woman carefully.

Later that day

Kagome woke up and stretched. She was still slightly tired but she wanted to see Kiyomei and Kanamei. They should have been released from the hospital, so she would stop in the gardening store before going to the hospital. But first she was in need of a shower. She moved to her shower and turned it on and let the temperature adjust while she got undressed. She got in and rinsed off. She needed to get shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. For now, this was fine. She got out. She dried to the best of her ability and pulled the clothes on. She ran her hands through her hair and pulled on her shoes, leaving her house.

She walked down the street and soon approached the gardening store. She entered, a little bell ringing her entrance. A man greeted her with a smile.

"I was looking for Kiyomei," Kagome said. "I wanted to know how she and Kanamei were doing."

"You must be Kagome. She was talking a lot about you," he commented. "I thank you for seeing to her in my absence and I thank you for saving my life. Now if you'll follow me, I'll take you to my wife and child." She followed and smiled at the woman.

"Kagome," Kiyomei greeted. She was breast feeding her daughter. She was smiling fondly at her child.

"I see you and Kanamei are doing well." She smiled and sat down in the free chair. Kiyomei's husband left the room. He had made a comment about manning the store while the two talked.

"I really am thankful for everything you have done for my family. If not for you my husband would be dead, and my daughter would go without her father. I've gathered a few things I know you could use." She placed her daughter in the crib and moved to a corner. There was a bag on the floor. "It's only a few sets of clothes and a few blankets. I believe there are some hygiene products as well."

"I can't take this," Kagome said.

"Sure you can. I cannot fit any of the clothes, and I wouldn't want you to get cold," Kiyomei replied. "It is the least I can do for you bringing Kanamei into the world, and insuring that my husband lived. We owe you so much."

Kagome looked at the woman and took the bag. She knew the woman would be one of the only people that would trust her. She knew the people of Suna did not trust her. They whispered and watched her as she walked through town. Kagome was not used to this. She just smiled at Kiyomei and placed the bag on the floor next to her. Kiyomei looked so happy and in love. She wished to be that lucky one day, but it would have to wait until she killed Naraku. He would use that happiness against her.

"I would like to look over you and Kanamei, just to make sure you both are fine. The first few months are important," Kagome said. Kiyomei nodded and Kagome approached her. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She placed her hands over Kiyomei and let her power flow through the woman. She checked from head to toe and found nothing wrong. She withdrew her power and opened her eyes, bringing her hands to her sides. "Everything is fine for you. Now Kanamei." She turned to the sleeping child and placed her hands above the child. She closed her eyes and allowed her power to flow through the child. She sighed and seemed to sleep easier.

"Kanamei is fine. There was a minor fever coming over her, but I cleared it from her system," Kagome said.

Kiyomei looked at the woman. That power she had felt made her feel warm and safe. This woman was gifted if she could get rid of something from her daughter before it came over her. She smiled at Kagome.

"Come eat. I made plenty." She led Kagome to the kitchen and smiled as Kagome took a seat. Her husband came into the room and kissed her forehead before taking a seat at the table with Kagome. He looked at the girl. She was beautiful but still a bit young, about the same age as the Kazekage. He patted her hand that was resting on the table. She was alone here, from what he understood. She came to the village injured, but she managed to make it through a sand storm. No one survived sand storms without permanent consequences.

Kiyomei placed the food on the table as well as plates and they served themselves. Kagome was used to the overly spicy food and lack of seasonings so she ate the food without a problem and followed it down with a glass of water. She smiled and soon Kanamei gave a loud cry. Kiyomei stood to get her baby as the two ate.

"How are you feeling?" Kagome asked the man.

"A little stiff, but fine."

"It is a minor side affected of the rapid healing. The stiffness should go away in a few days," she murmured. She continued to eat. She knew he was a little suspicious of her. He was a ninja, it was only natural.

"Where did you earn it?" He asked.

"It was part of my profession before I got here. A woman named Kaede taught me how to heal, but it was always at a slower and not so thorough rate. I read books about how the body should heal. I just used what she taught me and what I learned to accelerate the process." She looked into his eyes and saw understanding. "I was a priestess before I came here. I healed the ill and injured and protected those that could not protect themselves."

"You know how to fight?" He looked surprised.

"Probably not in the same manner as your fighting," she admitted. He nodded. They finished eating as Kiyomei entered with a still fussy Kanamei. Kagome stood and took Kanamei into her arms and lightly rocked her while humming a lullaby a mother used to sing to her to get her to sleep. Kanamei's cries started to reside and she just yawned and went back to sleep in Kagome's arms. Kiyomei and her husband had been amazed at the display. "She's sleeping now. Something must have startled her," Kagome said.

"I'll put her back in bed," Kiyomei said and took her daughter. She left the two alone.

"You are running from something," he stated.

"I am not running. I was brought here for a reason," she said. "I haven't figured out what it is yet." She shook her head. She was still tired. Kiyomei walked in the room. "I should get going now. I was up all night healing a group of shinobi."

"Don't forget this." Kiyomei handed her the bag.

"Thank you." She took the bag and bowed. She showed herself out.

"She's a nice girl," her husband remarked. "She has power. The others do not trust her because of that power."

"Even though she used it to heal our nin?"

"Yes. They will watch her and try to find something that says she is a threat to the village." He sighed and rubbed his temples. As a ninja of Suna it was his job to report to the Kazekage anything he found about the woman. "I'm going for a walk." He stood and left the house as his wife picked up the dishes. He followed after Kagome and saw her enter a house and close the door. He went around to the back and saw a room with pots in it. There were sprouts of some sort in the pots. Not many people were able to grow plants that were not native to the desert. He sighed and quietly watched as she watered the plants, humming softly. She placed the watering can down and left the room. He couldn't hear anything else. He turned and made his way to the Kazekage's office. It seemed to be a long day for him.

Author's Note: Here is the next chapter. It took me a while to get this far. Next chapter will have more action. I was trying not to rush this chapter, but the end was a bit rushed. Remember, read, review and ENJOY! Total word count, including this is 2,773.


	5. Custody

Chapter 5: Custody

He was traveling quickly across the desert with a group of sound with him. They were going to attack the village and he was hoping to get a glimpse of the woman Naraku spoke of. Orochimaru wanted him to test just how strong the woman was. He had agreed, just because he wanted to see exactly what she looked like. He smirked as Suna came into view. There was an explosion and the Suna nin became aware of them. He doubted they had the forces to hold them off for long. They had ambushed several groups of returning nin, including Gaara's brother.

Kagome heard the explosion and jumped out of bed, pulling on the closest clothes. She ran from her home and checked on Kiyomei and Kanamei. There were women and children screaming. She pulled Kiyomei and Kanamei with her to a cave. She ushered in the other women and children.

"Stay in here," she said seriously. She concentrated and formed a barrier around the group of women and children. Even if the cave came down, they would still be protected. She turned and ran from the group of scared women and children and looked at the group of attacking nin. She could see a man smirking. He was standing behind the group. He had to be in charge so she pulled out a bow and arrow. She drew it back and charged it, feeling a dark taint on him. She released and watched as the arrow was consumed in blue energy. It streaked through the sky like a comment and rammed through the male's shoulder. He roared and glared at her as he tried to pull the arrow out. He was unable to.

She took off into the village and used her miko ki charged bow to fight the nin, inflicting burns to their skin. They were being driven back by her and a few of the nin. She could see some getting swept up in sand as she ran to the next group that had been taking on a nin that was no older than twelve. She easily fended them off. The male that had the arrow protruding from his shoulder was watching her and she knew it. He was the one that had called for a retreat. He had lost seventy percent of his men.

Once the nin were gone she turned and ran back towards the cave, bow still in hand. She could see the cave crumbling around her barrier. She ran faster and used her power to push the rubble from off of the barrier. There was a clear path for them to exit the rubble. She dropped the barrier and she approached.

"Is everyone alright?" She asked, looking over the women and children. There were a few with minor scratches and bruises, but they would live. She wanted to look at the babies though, so she approached the women with bundles in their arms. Kanamei was crying, but uninjured, so were the others. She sighed in relief until two nin came up behind her. Using chakra rope they tied her up. She didn't want to tell them that they would have been better off using regular rope. She could easily break the binds with her miko ki. She went with them quietly, assuring Kiyomei that she would be fine. She was sure that it was Gaara's idea to take her into custody.

With Shikamaru

He sighed. He was on vacation and he just had to fight nin from sound. He looked at Temari and followed her to the Kazekage's office. He saw the other nin gathered there, including the ones that had been injured the day before. They all seemed fine to him. There were a few wounds on them but nothing fatal. He could see two Suna nin coming in with the woman, Kagome, in bindings. The shinobi were whispering and glaring at her. He couldn't blame them though. He would have done the same if he were from Suna. She was a mystery with powers they could not understand. People fear what they don't understand.

"What do you want us to do with her?" One of the nin asked.

"Secure her underground," Gaara said. "Are any Sound left in the village?"

"No, Kazekage," they replied. "They are either dead or fled. There was a large amount of damage done to the village, but the women and children are unharmed." Gaara nodded. Usually the women and children were harmed, sometimes killed. It was a good thing they wet unharmed this time around. "No one knows why they went unharmed."

"Dismissed." He watched them go, minus Temari, Shikamaru and Kankuro. He sat back down at his desk. He was going to send a message to Konoha requesting someone that was good at interrogation, but they would need a few escorts. He had explained that sound had been attacking Suna more often and ambushing those going to Suna. He had the bird take it. He sighed and sat back in his chair.

"That woman…" Temari started.

"Kept us safe," a woman panted as she entered the office. She was breathing heavily. Temari recognized her as the wife to the injured shinobi she helped to the hospital. "She formed some sort of barrier around us that protected us. She doesn't mean any harm."

"We don't know that," Temari said.

"You don't know her," Kiyomei stated fiercely. "She is a kind, warm, and nurturing woman. She only wants to help."

"We shall see," Gaara said. "Go home and rest. Your husband and child need you."

"You will see, Kazekage-sama." She turned and left the office.

Konoha

Tsunade was sitting in her desk, a bottle of sake concealed within a drawer. She was looking over paperwork. The village was almost completely repaired from the last attack on them. She looked up as Shizuni walked in with Ton Ton under one arm and a message in the other.

"Suna sent a message." She placed it in front of Tsunade and shifted Ton Ton to both of her arms. She watched as Tsunade read over the message.

"Shizuni, get me Haruno Sakura, Uzamaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, and Yamanaka Ino." Shizuni ran out of the room with Ton Ton and returned roughly an hour later with the four requested people. "You were called here because I need the three of you to escort Ino to Suna. The Kazekage is in need of Ino's services. He will brief you on what that is when you get there. Be careful. Sound has been ambushing those going to Suna."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," They replied.

"You leave immediately, so prepare quickly." They nodded and left. Tsunade sighed and pulled the sake bottle from where it was concealed before taking a shot of it. Why was this happening now?

The gate to Konoha

They met up at the gate half an hour after being dismissed. They were wondering what Suna needed with Ino. They would find out when they got to Suna so they had set out at a quick pace. They would rest when they could no longer see and start out before dawn. They would be there in a few days if they could keep up this pace.

They weaved through the trees and kept leaping from branch to branch. They knew they had to be careful or they would get ambushed by sound. By now the trees were thinning and the desert was getting closer. It would take them a day to get across the desert. It had taken them two days to get this far. They didn't want to get stuck in the desert at night so they would rest till the morning here.

Suna, Kazekage office

He was expecting them to get here soon. It had been almost two days since he sent the message to Konoha. Tsunade had sent him a reply stating who it was they were sending. Now it was just a waiting game. He really didn't want to wait to interrogate the woman. She had done something to the Uchiha, but he was unsure of what. He had seen the blue glow that had come from her direction, and the woman had claimed that she had thrown a barrier up around the women and children. There were things that she was not telling them and he wanted to know what it was.

He rubbed his temples. He had not rested well in a long time. There were always attacks on the village and now there was Kagome here. She was a mystery and the village was in a state of unrest. There was a large stack of paperwork on his desk, and too many nin returning from missions injured to near death. He hated it. He wanted to know the story behind Kagome; maybe then he would be able to relax and put his mind at rest.

"Gaara, you should go get some rest," Temari said. "You look tired and there are bags under your eyes."

"I will go to bed soon. Go enjoy your time with Shikamaru." Temari knew she was dismissed and only sighed tiredly while looking at him. She turned and closed the door before walking down the hall. Shikamaru was waiting for her down the hall. She got to his sighed and they walked off. "I doubt he will get any rest tonight."

"He has a lot of responsibility," Shikamaru said. "I do not really sleep in Konoha. I never stop thinking there. It keeps me awake. He has to think of a solution to the attacks from sound, and he has to find a way to heal the injured since the medics are unable to heal the damage, and the issue with that woman."

"Ino will be here soon with Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura, then we will know the truth to her." He took her hand in his when her door was closed. "Come, we should rest just in case another attack happens." She nodded and allowed him to drag her to her bedroom. She could use the rest, and she would be able to sleep better with him there with her.

The Afternoon of the next day

Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura and Ino were shown to the Kazekage's office. Sakura and Ino were battered and were being supported by the two males. Gaara looked surprised.

"What happened?"

"We were ambushed on our way here by sound," Naruto said. "We were warned and had been fully alert but they seemed to just spring out of the ground. I do not know if Ino and Sakura will make it. They need medical attention immediately." Naruto was panicked about the two girls.

"Temari, Kankuro," he called and the two ran into the room. "Go get Kagome."

"But Gaara," Temari said.

"We both know the medics will have no affect on their injuries. Go get her."

"Yes, Gaara-sama," they replied and turned, running from the room. They had seen the puddle of blood forming beneath the two females. They had to be quick or the two females would die.

"Get up and come with us," Temari demanded. "We need to make it fast or two people will die."

Kagome stood and quickly ran after the two. They entered the room and Kagome looked at the two females. "Lay them down," she said seriously. There were chains on her wrists and ankles that gave her enough room to move. "Please do not interfere." She knelt on the floor and concentrated. She closed her eyes and she placed her hands over Ino first. She looked the worst for wear. She pushed her power into her hands and into the body of the female. She cried out in pain and Naruto made to move forward, but Gaara's sand wrapped around him.

"She's hurting her," he cried out.

"She is helping," he remarked.

A voice in the back of his head was telling him to relax. There was something familiar about the feel of the woman to the kyuubi no Yoko. They had not seen her face so the kyuubi did not know for sure who she was. The name rang a bell though.

She quickly reset the bone and healed them over before sewing arteries back together, followed by muscle and tendon, then the several layers of skin. The girl was lucky that her lungs had not been damaged. She brushed the sweat from her brow and turned to the other girl. She quickly forced her power into the girl and she had cried louder than the blonde had. Almost every bone in the girl's body was broken, fractured, or dislocated, so she had to be careful; not to mention her right lung had been punctured. She had to heal that first if the girl was to live, so she set her ribs and sewed the lung shut with her ki. It took longer to heal Sakura than Ino. But both girls would live.

Kagome stepped back away from the girls and Kakashi and Naruto were on them, making sure they were alright. Naruto looked up at her and gasped. She was beautiful and he could hear the kyuubi whispering mother in the back of his mind. What was the kyuubi talking about? She was a human. But the kyuubi forced him to flare his aura. The woman's eyes widened and she whispered a named before throwing her arms around him.

"My dear, sweet pup," she murmured. He could feel her tears against the side of his neck. "I thought I had lost you."

"What are you talking about?" He asked as he pushed her away.

"How can this be?" She asked. She had tears running down her face. "Where is my kit?"

"Kit?" He looked confused. Everyone was wary of her and there was still two unconscious women in the middle of the Kazekage's floor, not to mention blood everywhere. "Gaara, are you sure this woman isn't crazy?"

Kagome shook her head and stepped away from Naruto. "I'm sorry, but that aura reminded me of someone I once knew." She sighed as sadness entered her eyes. She turned away and looked to Gaara.

Gaara looked at Temari and Kankuro and signaled for them to take away Kagome. She moved slowly, but she easily could have gotten away if she wanted to. It would do nothing for their trust if she had done that. It was the last thing she needed. They would just try to find a way to keep her from escaping. She just got back to her cell and laid on the provided cot as Temari locked the gate and they left. She just regretted not being able to water her plants. She sighed. They would die at this rate.

With Kiyomei

She knew Kagome was trying to grow something so she found the spare key that was hidden above the door frame. She unlocked the door and entered the bare house. She closed the door and moved to the kitchen. All of the cabinets were empty and so was the fridge so she moved to the room downstairs and saw all the potted plants. They were just sprouts but they looked to be in need of watering so she grabbed the watering can and filled it before walking around, humming to the plants as she watered them. She put it down and walked up the stairs. There were three doors. She opened the closest to see a pile of dirty clothes in a corner and an unmade bed. She fixed the bed and moved to the pile of clothes. Her husband was watching their daughter so she should be able to get the laundry done and the few groceries they would need.

She just hoped that Kagome was released soon. She didn't deserve to be locked up. She was only trying to help the village. She had healed their nin and delivered her child. She had protected the women and children and had driven sound from the village. Now they took her into custody and for three days she was locked up. It just wasn't fair.

She sighed and folded the clothes and placed them in the nearly empty drawer. She closed the drawer and left Kagome's house. She replaced the key and went to the stalls. She bought a few vegetables and fruits, as well as some meats. She paid for them and the women asked her what happened to their protector. They had not seen her around in a while and they were all worried. She could tell them nothing because she knew nothing. She just hoped Kagome would be released soon.

Author's Note: Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it. Remember to read, review and ENJOY!


	6. Truth

Chapter 6: Truth

She knew they were coming so feigned sleep. The cell door was unlocked and the blonde female she healed a few days ago entered, the door locking behind her. She knew that the others were watching what was about to happen. She felt the shift, and instead of fighting her off, like she knew she could, she let her enter her mind.

"You have only entered my mind because I allowed it," she told her, the mental manifestation of her appearing before the mental manifestation of Ino. "I lowered the barrier around my mind to allow you excess, otherwise, you never would have been able to breech my mind."

"Why would you do that?" She was surprised.

"I already knew they did not trust me, why else would they bring another village into this?" She sighed.

"Why did you come to Suna?"

"I did not come here of my own free will," she commented. "A higher force guided me here." A flash of the sandstorm passed into Ino's mind. "I learned long ago not to fight nature. In the end it will take you where it wants you to be."

"That doesn't answer my question," she remarked back. "Why are you here?"

"I honestly don't know." She shook her head. "I can tell you I was in a battle with my foe. I believe the clash of my power against his cut a rift in my reality and the aftermath was me and him getting sent here." A battle flashed quickly through Ino's mind, but she could not hear anything. "I'm afraid, that is all I can tell you right now," Kagome said panicked. "There is another attack going on. You are needed." She shoved Ino from her mind and back into her body. She gasped and told them to unlock the door. She rushed from the underground and out of the tower to see sound attacking again. The others made it out just after she did.

It took long hours for the fight with Sound to end. There were many injured, very few were dead, but that number would increase if the injured where not treated.

It was several grueling hours later that she was pulled from the cell and forced to heal the many fatally wounded nin. She had done so, exhausting herself to the point of collapse. She had been able to hold out until the last person was healed. She had been brought into a hospital room for monitoring. She was cuffed to the bed and machines hooked up to monitor her weak heartbeat.

Kazekage office

"What did you find out, Ino?" Gaara asked her.

"She knows you do not trust her," she started. "She knew what you wanted and allowed me into her mind. She did it willingly, otherwise, she claims, I would never have been able to enter her mind." She shook her head, remembering the few scenes she saw in her mind. "There was something unnatural about that sandstorm that brought her here. Someone or something wanted her here."

"Why was she injured the way she was? A sandstorm could not do that kind of damage."

"She was in a battle with some enemy." Flashes went through her head. "There were several weird creatures around her. They didn't look human at all. Some of them had scales. She claims that her power and her foe's power clashed and ripped a hole through her reality and they were both sent here. Her foe seemed gravely injured and he fled." She shook her head at the amount of blood she had seen in those memories. "After that, she forced me out of my mind. She was panicked and told me Suna was under attack."

Gaara scowled. It didn't answer any of the questions he had about her, but before he could ask anything else, a nin came barging in.

"Kazekage-sama, there is a protest outside," he reported. "The women of the city are demanding we release the woman we have in custody." He was panting. "There are a few of our nin with them, mostly the ones that she saved from death."

Gaara looked outside and saw the crowd gathered. The wives and children of the recently deceased nin were crying and blaming him for the deaths of their loved ones, claiming if the woman was free, they would still be alive, that she would have protected them while he could not. It angered him and he sat back down. This woman was complicating his already complicated life.

"Ino, finish interrogating that woman. I need to know all of her secrets. She could be a threat to this village." Something in him stirred in rage at what he was demanding be done with the woman. He ignored it, since it was such a weak impulse.

"Hai, Kazekage-sama." She left the office and made her way into the hospital room of the collapsed woman. She entered her mind again, her body falling limp on the floor. No one was there to stop her.

She found herself in the darkness of Kagome's mind and started to look around. There were several doors in this long dark hall. She opened the first one she came across and saw what looked to be a new born Kagome looking up at what she assumed was her mother and father. Time seemed to pass and she relived Kagome's first five years of life, from her first word to her first tooth, to her first step. The rooms looked similiar to their own, only more advanced. It ended at Kagome's sixth birthday, then she was shoved out the door and it slammed shut before locking. She tried the next door, to see a slightly older Kagome, maybe about eight years old. She was crying and standing in front of what looked to be a grave marker. She had been told that her father was hit by a drunk driver on his way home from a late night at work. It had been raining and he never saw the car coming. She lived through Kagome learning how to cope and having to help her mother take care of a young brother. She was shoved out of that door as well. It locked and she tried another door. She was slightly older here as well. She was walking around what looked to be a school, three girls with her in identical uniforms and a male approaching. She watched the boy's attempt at asking her out or trying to talk to her, only to be shot down. Her friends were questioning her, asking her why she turned Hojo down again, and Kagome couldn't put forth an answer. It progressed until the day of her fifteenth birthday where she entered the well house and was dragged down the well by an obviously naked woman with multiple sets of arms. It showed the emergence of her power before she was shoved back into the hall and the door locked. The next door showed her the last three years of Kagome's life of traveling and fighting what she learned was called demons as she tried to reassemble a jewel that was pulled from her body. She was shoved out of that door just before the rift in Kagome's reality. She tried the next door to see it was her working at a restaurant in Suna, delivering a woman's baby, healing countless people, and her incarceration. She was shoved out of that door, and tried several others to see nothing.

"Those are memories that have yet to be created," a voice sounded from around her.

"Whose there?" She spun around looking for the source of the voice.

"Someone that has died long ago. I am what is known as an incarnation."

"Incarnation?" Ino asked.

"I am who she used to be in another life. Kagome is a very kind woman that has gone through so much. It is in her nature to help, not harm. The fact that you and these people do not trust her, upsets me, and it upsets the kami."

"What does the kami have to do with this?" Ino was truly confused.

"She is what is called a child of the kami, blessed with extraordinary powers. The fact that she does not hate and is trusting after all the wrong that has been done to her, makes the kami proud. She is what the kami had desired that this race would be like, however that ideal had been corrupted by greed, lust and anger. She is the embodiment of kindness and goodness." The voice sighed. "It was a mistake for the kami to send her here. This world is not worth saving if they treat someone as they have treated her." The voice faded away and she was shoved back into her body. She stood after her bearings was returned to her. She left the hospital room and walked out of the hospital, going through everything she had seen and learned. Was the human race here really not worth saving?

"Ino? Is everything alright?" Sakura asked her.

"I'm not sure anymore," she commented. "I need to go report to the Kazekage." She excused herself and hurried to the Kazekage tower.

"What is it?" Gaara asked her.

"She lived what seemed to be a normal life until roughly her fifteenth birthday..." And she went on to tell him all she had learned from the mind of the unconscious woman and what her previous life had claimed. Gaara was unbelieving, but he had not been there. "It is in my thorough belief and from what I seen, that she is not a threat to this village." She turned and left the office, leaving Gaara to his thoughts.

With Naruto

The Kyuubi no Yoko's voice had made him go to the hospital and find the woman. He saw her there, unconscious on the bed and the Kyuubi had raged inside his mind, upset with the treatment Suna bestowed upon her. 'Mother,' the Kyuubi raged and fought him for control. He tightened the reigns but approached her before the Kyuubi could snarl again. He looked down at her and a vision flashed through his mind. It was a woman and she was smiling down at a small child with paws for feet, fangs, and pointed ears. The name Shippo slipped through her lips.

"Shippo?" A sleepy voice called and the Kyuubi settled down as the woman's eyes opened.

"I'm not Shippo," he said in a low voice. "I'm Naruto."

"Oh." Sadness came over her, and the Kyuubi whined at him to make his mother happy.

"I have a fox's spirit trapped in my body," he said lowly. "He keeps calling you mother."

"Shippo?" She looked into his eyes and there, she could see it, the soul of her Shippo entertwined with this man's own soul. She tried to throw her arms around him. "I've missed you so much, Shippo," she whispered, tears coming to her eyes.

"According to the village, he was known as the Kyuubi no Yoko and he had raged through Konoha. No one knows why, but they blamed a clan in the village. He was trapped within my body by my father to save the village."

"You are an orphan like him then," she commented. "His parents were killed in front of him and I took to raising him."

'Mother. I was looking for her. I knew she ended up somewhere here.' Naruto looked shocked. "He was looking for you. He appeared here earlier than you had."

"I'm so sorry, Shippo." By instinct, Naruto curled up with her and they both fell asleep.

Author's Note: It is short but it is something. I have been sitting on this, wondering how to continue this chapter. I will try to start working on the next chapter and hopefully my other stories. A Series Of Unfortunate Events is completed in my documents, but I will be updating that story every few days until chapter 15. I want twenty reviews for that story by the end before I decide to post the next installment, which is currently at ten chapters. So I hoped you enjoyed this story. Please read and review and hopefully it gives me some motivation to continue writing instead of playing minecraft.


	7. Probation

Chapter 7: Probation

Gaara looked out the window of his office to the protesters. He was still unsure of how he should handle the whole situation with the mystery that was Kagome Higurashi.

"Gaara-sama," Temari said from the door way. "What should we do about this?" She knew her brother was at a loss. No one had ever protested when his father had been kazekage.

"Where are they keeping her, Temari?" He didn't look back at her.

"She hasn't been released from the hospital yet," she replied. "Did you want me to retrieve her?" He nodded his head and she left silently. He had to figure out what to do with her. From what Ino said, Kagome meant them no harm. She was somehow chained to a kami, and she had the ability to heal and protect his people when his ninja could not. Perhaps he will place her on probation and a guard placed over her to watch her activity. He nodded to himself. It would bring peace to his mind and the citizens and ninja that protested would be silenced and appeased. He did not need a coup on his hands.

"Kazekage-sama wishes to speak with you," he could hear Temari say.

"Kagome-chan hasn't rested enough," Naruto's voice cut in.

"It's okay, Naruto. This must be important for him to send Temari to get me." They entered the room and he turned towards them. "Kazekage-sama," she greeted him with a bow.

"Sit," he said and watched as she did as told. "I have decided what should be done with you." He sat in his chair. "You will be placed on probation until I see fit. There will be a ninja placed guard over you. They will report to me your activities until your probation is lifted. You will help at the hospital when it is needed."

"I understand your hesitance," she commented. "I appreciate not having to be placed in the cell again."

"You may leave now. Temari, watch over her until the guard is assigned." She shrugged and followed the woman out.

"Kyuubi recognizes her," Naruto said to his red-haired friend. "He calls her mother." He looked into Gaara's eyes. "Shukaku has been getting to you again, hasn't he?"

"He was silent for a long time following the Akatsuki's attack and the draining of his power. He does not like my treatment of her."

"It is hard for you to trust because of your past," Naruto said. "I was the same way. But look at you know. Your people adore you. They don't treat you like trash anymore." Gaara sighed and his shoulder's slumped.

"It has been a difficult past few months," Gaara admitted. "My nin and merchants are getting attacked by sound on their return. I"ve lost many men and women and almost lost Kankuro."

"Sound wishes to weaken you," Naruto admitted.

"Ino said her enemy is in these lands. That enough is adding extra worry."

"The kyuubi no yoko remembers that enemy," Naruto remarked. "He speaks of how manipulative he was." Naruto could hear the whispers of the one now identified as Shippo. "He says, Kagome was powerful, of how she had damaged him. If this Naraku character is around, he will be in hiding trying to recover. The attacks will not end, but she will protect those here because it is in her nature."

Gaara nodded at this information. She would be needed but he couldn't trust her, no matter how much Shukaku protested his treatment. Shikaku had become active recently. Before he was silent, but now he raged on.

"You will have to return to Konoha soon with your team," Gaara stated as he looked out at the dispersing crowd.

"You know we can stay if you needed help," Naruto said. He wasn't the same youth anymore. "Tsunade would understand."

"This is Suna's problem.," Gaara said. "If what you said is true, this Naraku character will show up soon."

"He never shows himself," Naruto said. "The kyuubi says it was luck that they found him before. You will have a war on your hands."

"I will send word should Suna need help." Naruto nodded. It was all he was going to get out of Gaara.

With Naraku

He looked at the room he was placed in. It was dark and the air was stale. He could not recover in this environment. He needed people to absorb to recover the remainder of his body and restore the power he had expended against the miko. He would make this known, then he would recover, absorb the being known as Orochimaru and he would rule this world with the miko as his queen. He desired her above all else. She was powerful, more powerful than these people could ever comprehend.

"Soon, Kagome, you will be mine and this world will be ruled by me." He knew it would take time to gain both her and this world, but he had time. He was powerful.

With Kagome

She looked around the house she was staying in. Her plants were watered and her laundry was done. She would thank Kiyomei later for seeing to her home in her absence, but right now she had a few things she had to take care of. She entered her nearly empty room and sat on the floor in a meditative pose. She had to try to find Naraku. She would be able to pick up his signature if it was within a specific range. If she could not pick him up, then he was either dead or beyond her range. She didn't pick him up so she knew he was beyond her range. She would not put it past him to find a way to survive death. He was a manipulative bastard afterall. He would have found a way for someone to work for him.

She stood and looked out the window. The sun was already setting and she was still drained from her last healing. She would head to bed and hope that tomorrow was a better day.

With Temari

She watched the woman do nothing special until the guard showed up. She wanted to enjoy the time Shikamaru would be here, so turned over what she witnessed before heading home. She still had dinner to cook and she wanted to catch up with Shikamaru. He had two weeks here before he had to head back to Konoha and she wanted to make the most of it before he had to head back. She had no doubt that Naruto and the others would be heading back soon. Sakura had been trying to flirt with Gaara, but Gaara had a lot on his plate right now. Love was the last thing he would be thinking of, and the pink haired female was actually quite weak. She knew she was trying to find the easy way out. Temari would never allow the pink haired female to marry Gaara. Gaara would never be happy with Sakura. He deserved someone that was strong and reliable. Sakura was neither.

"Temari," Shilamaru said, knocking her from her thoughts. "What did Gaara want?"

"I had to watch over that woman until her guard showed up," she said. "He placed her on probation, but I don't trust her, and neither should he."

Shikamaru sighed. Konoha had treated Naruto the same way and he had proved to be trust worthy. Perhaps this woman was the same.

"It was the same for Naruto, and I bet it was the same for Gaara," he stated almost lazily. Temari flinched at this. She knew how much Gaara had suffered at the hands of not only their father, but the villagers as well. "Gaara is your Kazekage now and Naruto aspires to be the Hokage someday. People trust them now. Why should she not be trusted? From my understanding, she has been the only one capable of healing the people that return from an attack by sound. You have lost a lot of people, maybe more if she were not here. She saved your women and children when she didn't have to. She may even find a way to protect this village from sound so you and everyone else can rest easy at night. Would that be so bad?"

Temari felt like a failure, but Shikamaru was a genius. His mind was always workingsix steps ahead. What he said did make sense. Kagome didn't have to help them, didn't have to protect the women and children, but she did anyways. Maybe she should just rethink everything.

"Come on," Shikamaru said and led her to the kitchen, where he had tea waiting for them. "You had a hard day."

With Kagome's Guard

He watched the woman as she slept. She had done nothing exciting since he started watch. All she had done was sleep. It was a good thing that he was not in a relationship with anyone, and that his family understood that he was a ninja dedciated to his mission. It allowed him to focus solely on this duty. He just placed a jutsu over him hiding him, and fell into a light sleep outside of her window. He would know when she woke up.

It was before sunrise when he heard her rise. He watched her move the the bathroom, where she closed the door. He silently flittered to the small window of the bathroom, he could faintly hear humming with the sound of running water. It was a few moments later that the shower was cut off and the sink faucet was turned on. He could hear her brushing her teeth. He flittered back to her room to see a crack in her curtain. Her back was to the window so he could see the scars on what should have been smooth skin. The scars did not look like normal civilian scars, instead they looked like some sort of animal had clawed at her back, and there was what looked to be a bite mark that had been taken out of her hip. No civilian had scars like that. It was soon hidden under a shirt and she pulled her hair into a ponytail, before pulling on shoes and leaving her house.

He followed her to a restaurant and watched her slip in, an apron coming on as she greeted the owner and made her way to the back to start work. The bickering brother and sister pair made their way into the shop, he noticed. Kagome came to take their order because there was no waiter yet and moved back to the kitchen, the brother and sister not bickering now. It was odd to him because everyone always saw them bicker from the time the woke until they went to sleep. It was several minutes later that she flittered back with a tray in hand she placed down the cold water and their food before bowing and hoping they enjoyed the meal. He didn't see her after the first waiter came in, but he could still sense her bustling around in the kitchen.

When it was time for her lunch break, he followed her to the town garden store. She made her way in and he watched from a window as she thanked Kiyomei for looking after her house in her absence. Soon he watched as she looked over Kiyomei and her daughter. The child seemed taken with the woman. She had lunch with Kiyomei before making her way back to the restaurant for the last of her shift.

He watched as when she got home she sat and seemed to meditate. He felt a wave of power blow past him. It went on for a few moments before she stood and moved to her closet. She pulled out a bow and a set of arrows before moving to the back. He could see targets set up and a few training dummies set up. She took a stance and seemed to relax her breathing before loosing an arrow. A pink light trailed behind it and faded when it hit the target dead center. She continued to do this for thrirty minutes before taking out a dagger and moving through forms he had never seen against the dummies. She seemed flawless. After an hour of that, she moved back into the house and to the spare room. Through the window he could see potted plants. She seemed to humm to the plants as she watered them. Once that was done, she moved to the kitchen and started to cook her dinner and then showered and headed off to bed.

It was becoming obvious to him that she was no civilian. She was obviously trained to fight and she held a discipline not many ninja had at her age. He wrote his findings down before going to sleep again.

Author's note: Here is the next chapter, and the first chapter of the new year for me. I do have news. I have managed to recover my other stories from when my laptop blue screened. It was on my external, however my new computer is unable to pick up that device. My brother-in-law managed to extract the documents for me, however my computer does not have the proper software installed to read the documents, so I am hoping to download a program that is compatible with my OS that will allow me to read the documents. Please be patient with me on this.

On another note, I have started to write another fanfiction, however before I post that one I want to finish ten chapters so that I can update it weekly, while still giving me enough chapters to stay ahead. I have an issue with it, however. I need 32 male characters from Inuyasha to include Hiten, Manten, Naraku, Kageromaru, Juromaru, Shuran, Byakuya, Goshinki, Kouga, Ginta, Hakaku, Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, Bankotsu, Ginkotsu, Jakotsu, Renkotsu, Suikotsu, Kyukotsu, Mukotsu, Mujo, and Miroku. If I am not mistaken, I need 10 more names. So if you can send me more names in reviews, that would be great.

Have a happy new year and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	8. Recovery

Chapter 8: Recovery

It had been a week since he started this mission, and aside from the occasional potty break and stops for food, she hadn't left his sight. He had sent a summon with his reports on this woman known as Kagome. She hadn't done anything outside of her schedule, and it had been quiet in the village. Sound hadn't attacked the village and for the time being, travel to and from had been suspended. They woiuldn't get their first delivery of herbs for several more weeks because of this set back. They would be stuck eating overly spicy food. This mission was actually starting to bore him.

With Sasuke

He scowled at the arrow that was still lodged in his shoulder. Kabuto and everyone else had been unable to pull the arrow from his shoulder. It angered him but the pulses of energy kept him from activating the cursed seal Orochimaru had gifted him with. The woman must be truly powerful to have something like this happen to him. There was one person he knew of that would have answers for this.

He entered the room they were keeping the male they found. His recovery was going slowly. He saw this man smirk at him.

"Can't remove it, can you?" He questioned with a smirk. "I could, had I restored my power."

"What do you need?" Sasuke asked with a scowl. He was tired of being left here because of this arrow in his shoulder.

"It is simple enough," Naraku commented. "Just bring a few of your most corrupt here. I will do the rest."

"When you recover, you will remove this arrow." Sasuke turned from him and left. He was curious as to what this man could do. He would do it just to see what would happen. He had those most loyal go to the room, under the guise that it was Orochimaru's orders. He had closed the door after them and made sure they could not leave. There was a scuffle and a few screams before everything went silent. He entered the room again to see Naraku standing on two legs. He smirked before gripping the arrow in Sasuke's shoulder and pulled it out roughly. Sasuke grunted in pain as blood gushed from the wound.

"Bastard," Sasuke cursed at him.

"I did as you asked," Naraku remarked. "I never said it would be painless or without injury." He glared down at Sasuke. "Where is she at now?"

"Hn." Sasuke turned away from him. "Orochimaru doesn't want you leaving yet." And Sasuke was gone.

"Insolent fool," Naraku seethed. "You and he cannot stop me from reaching my ultimate goal."

With Kagome

She awoke later than usual but she didn't have work today either. She just stood from her bed in the night gown Kiyomei gave her and gathered her clothes to wash them. After they were in the wash, she made her way back to her room and fixed her bed before heading back down stairs to the kitchen, where she started on her breakfast. It consisted of eggs, sausage and a bit of toast with dessert berry jam. After she ate her meal, she brought her clothes to the line to dry and went to watering her herbs. They were getting bigger and soon she would trim it down and dry the herbs to start using at work. She had heard the rumors of no one allowed to travel to or from Suna because of the attacks on them. She wanted to help, but knew Gaara did not trust her.

She could still feel the guard he placed on her outside her window. She just sighed and placed the leftovers of her breakfast on the open window sill and went to cleaning her breakfast dishes. She returned to see the plate empty and placed a cup of cold water on the sill. She knew the one watching her had to eat sometime. He wasn't really going to be able to get something to eat elsewhere. She lived on the outskirts of the city, away from the shops and where the families lived, and even further from the front gate and the hospital. She guessed it was for the Kazekage's protection.

She had no plans to go into town today either, so sat and meditated, trying to find Naraku again. She found a slight trace of him, but it was much too far away, and she wouldn't beable to go after him either, not with her every move being watched. She knew this ban on traveling would hurt their food supply. They had a farm or two but she knew that it was dry and the crops would not be able to produce much more for the season. Something would have to be done about this.

She stood and slipped into her house. She had strips of paper she had blessed but she was yet to give them a purpose. She would do so with one of them. She took up a calligraphy brush and blessed ink before whispering a silent protection charm on it. Once she was done, she walked into the back and the wind ripped the paper from her hand and off into the world. It would find its way to hands that would know how to use it.

Some distant land

He was working on his farm, harvesting herbs and vegetables for the first delivery he had. It was supposed to be to Suna, but he feared traveling there now. Many merchants had been getting attacked. Before all of the sand storms in the dessert, another merchant from this town had returned nearly dead. Suffice to say, he had died and his son, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old, was in charge of seeing to the farm. He had an abundance of produce what feared the same fate as his father.

It was at this moment that a strong gust had come by and a strip of paper had smashed into his face. He pulled it away to see weird writing on it. He couldn't understand it, but maybe the shrine at the end of their village would know what it meant. He made the trek on foot after making sure his son and daughter would pick up where he left off.

When he got to the shrine, he located the head monk and showed him the strip of paper.

"This is quite the find," the elderly monk remarked, looking over it. "I haven't felt a power like this ever. It is pure but actually holds real power." He continued to look it over. "This seems to be a ward of protection, but I haven't seen one like this. Most are often used to protect sacred places. No. This one seems to be specifically geared to protecting a person and whatever they have with them." He nodded. "I would make that trip to Suna, but keep this on you. It might just save your life." He was handed back the ward and was off back to his farm to see his wagon filled with the first delivery of goods. He pulled on his cloak and tucked the ward within his clothes where he could not lose it before saying bye to his family. Like that he started the journey to Suna. It would take him a few days to get there. Hopefully he could sell his goods and make it back within the next week.

With the Guard

He had eaten the food she had left on the sill. He had a feeling that she knew he was there. Most were not able to see through the jutsu he had cast. He had found it odd that she would just let a slip of paper be cast to the wind. He would have gone after it, but he couldn't leave his post, and it had traveled quickly. It would be long gone before the Kazekage can have someone track it down. He did make note of it, but the rest of his day was proving to be mundane. She did household chores, some training and some reading. Nothing else happened. She had shared her meals with him, but now he was reflecting. Aside from that sheet of paper, she was proving to not be a threat. Sure, she trained, but a lot of people trained everyday. Some civilians even trained in the martial arts. It was one way they could get a decent job.

He sighed as he leaned against the wall of her house. It was going to be a colder night than the last few, and his clothes were not exactly suited for it. He listened briefly to a ruffling and then he could hear her move into the bathroom. There next to him was a thick blanket. He pulled it to him and found a note under it.

_I hope you enjoyed the food. Here is a spare blanket you can use during this time._ And there was another strip of paper with it. It looked weird to him, but he tucked it away for further investigation later.

Front gates of Suna

Orochimaru smirked as he looked at the sleeping town. There were more guards posted than usual, but that didn't matter to him. He just signaled to Kabuto and the first explosion went off, rocking the city walls. There were a few cries of pain and lights came on just as his nin started to infiltrate the city. The Kazekage was there with his sand. He was giving orders and Orochimaru smirked. "Find her, Kabuto." The white haired nin nodded and was off, jumping off of roofs and dodging attacks. He found her standing on a cliff above the city, bow in hand. She notched an arrow and let it soar. It had landed just outside of the hospital and something shimmered before vanishing again. The cliff she stood on had a cave. He didn't care what was in the cave but he had to get her. Orochimaru wanted her, and he was going to get her.

He made a leap towards her, but he was kicked away and a man materialized between him and the woman. He seemed ready to fight him. Kabuto smirked and made to attack, but every attack he made was dodged or blocked. He scowled at this. He would need to get through this nin before he could make his way to her.

With Kagome

She knew the man that guarded her had intercepted someone that was coming for her. She looked around at what was going on. She had already gotten the women and children to safety, but sand was on fire from a few explosions she knew were planned to throw them off. She just started to run into the frey, knowing this guard would keep this man from getting to her. She defended a young ninja and knocked the assaliant away before firing another into a crowd that made to swarm over three nin that were injured and trying to regroup. It landed in front of them, flashing outwards and throwing the attacking nin back. The Suna nin, rushed passed her, thanking her as she dodged an attack. She cracked one of the men in the head with the bow, before tripping him. A strike to a pressure point had him unconscious.

She continued to do what she could as she made her way through groups. There were so many people injured from the explosions alone. Sound was planning to wipe them out tonight.

With the guard

The next explosion threw him off balance and the nin he was fighting sprang forward to take advantage of it. He knew this was the end for him, but something unexpected happened. A light pulsed out from his pocket and knocked the nin back, saving him. He used this distraction to his advantage and rammed his fist through the nin's stomach with razor. He jumped back and collapsed before retreating. The guard caught his breath and found his charge. She had just taken out a group of sound and was trying to make it to the Kazekage, whom was facing off with Orochimaru and looked to be losing. He leapt forward and everything seemed to go in slow motion as Orochimaru sprang towards Gaara with his sword at the ready. The blade was caught by sand, but Orochimaru's free hand was that of a snake that was ready to strike.

Without warning time returned to normal and the snake hand had an arrow between its eyes, a pink glow enveloping the arrow. Shortly after, the hand exploded into ash and Orochimaru jumped back, a stub of an arm where the snake used to be. His yellow snake eyes narrowed on her. It seemed Kabuto could not complete his job and his men were already retreating. He smirked before he vanished as well.

"Kazekage-sama, are you alright?" He asked his leader. Gaara was panting, a slight wince on his face and blood dripping down his left side.

"I'll be fine," he commented. He knew he looked far worse than his leader. "Have the able look through the rubble for survivors. I want the seriously injured to go to the hospital." He bowed and jumped away. "I need you to heal them," Gaara said to Kagome.

"I need to grab a few thing from the house. I can be there in a few moments."

"We do not have much time to spare."

"I know." And she turned and ran back to her house. She had managed to find a few herbs around the village that people mistaked for weeds. She had brewed drafts that would just about restore her energy but she would be out for a few days following this.


	9. Ward

Chapter 9: Ward

She moved to the hospital quickly, knowing Gaara would be there to sort everything out. She had work she had to get to and she knew it was going to be a long couple of days of healing. She came in just as Gaara was getting ready to send out a message to Konoha asking for assitance, but advising them to be careful.

"Gaara-sama," she said as she approached. She could feel the wards she made in her pocket. "Please send these with the message." She held forward the strips of paper. "Advise them to have the team keep it on them." He looked at her strangely then turned to the man he had guarding her. He seemed to nod and he took the slips of paper. He looked at them, but sent them off with the message the bird would take. "You won't regret it," she murmured as she moved to the emergency room. She had work she needed to do, and quickly if she was going to be able to save them. She had already dropped the barrier around the women and children after insuring nothing would harm them.

With Gaara

"Why would you advise I send those strips of paper with the message?" He asked the guard.

The guard reached into his pocket and pulled out a strip of paper that looked exactly like the ones he had sent. "She gave this to me during one the weekend. It saved my life against sound," he explained. "I am not sure what it sayd, but if it can prevent serious injury to me, then perhaps it can save them from serious harm as well." He slipped it back into his pocket as one of his former teammates healed him. "I think she could help us," he admitted.

"If Konoha nins can get here with minimal injuries, then I will consider her help outside of the hospital."

"Very well, Kazekage-sama." He bowed and went to find his charge. Her probation had not been lifted.

With the Merchant that found the ward

He was traveling quickly through the desert, the sand storm clearing from his path. He knew this was the territory in which many would get attacked and he continued on with caution, seeing the gates of Suna before him. He pushed his horse harder. He had traveled without stop and he would need rest when he got to Suna.

He passed through the gates to see the damage that had been done. Rubble was about to fall on him and his cargo, but his pocket glowed and the rubble was forced to the side, barely missing a nin that was searching through the rubble. He sighed. That could have ended badly for him. He was stopped and questioned about why he was there and how he managed to make it through the desert without injury. He had explained but the nin didn't seem to believe him. He was brought to the Kazekage's office with the reassurance that his merchandise would be looked after.

"One of my nin says you braved the desert and got here unscathed," Gaara said. "How did you manage that?"

"I'm not sure," he remarked. He shook his head. "Just before I set out, this had been carried to the wind and had made connection with my face." He pulled a strip of paper from his pocket. "I had seen a priest in my village before I had headed out. He said it was a ward of protection, made by someone with real power. He advised I make this trip with the ward on me." Gaara lifted it up and looked it over. It looked exactly like what he had sent to Konoha. If what this man said was true, then Kagome had the answer to ensuring the safety of his people and those that were needed to continue Suna's existance.

"Keep this on you," Gaara said as he pushed the strip of paper back towards the merchant. "That is not the first I have seen." He leaned back in his chair. "One of my nin was gifted with something resembling that. It saved his life when he should have died." The merchant nodded and placed it back into his pocket. "Go and rest. It must have been a long journey here, and no one is well enough to buy your merchandise right now." The merchant nodded and left. He had a cot in the back of his wagon that he could rest on.

Konoha

Tsunade received a message from Suna, the bird extremely tired from its quick trip. Within the message was a stack of paper with weird writing on it. She ignored the strips of paper and looked to the message instead. It had explained that Suna had been attacked and the city had been greatly damaged. They were asking for assistance in finding people and pulling them fro the rubble. She would think that they would need help with healing. They had an alligance and so she called for Shizuna to get sixteen shinobi for her, to include Neji and Hinata Hyuuga. They would be able to spot the nin and civilians within the rubble.

After she gave the list to Shizuna, she went back to the letter. It directed her to have the nin keep the strips of paper on them to ensure they made it to Suna with minimal injury. She knew the situation with Suna. Sound ambushed anyone going to Suna, or leaving. He didn't explain what they were, but she would just have to trust him on this one.

The sixteen nin started to file in slowly. Naruto, Sakura, and Sai were the first to arrive. Hinata came in with Kiba and Shino. Ino and Choji came in and so did Neji, Tenten, and Lee. Atsuma and Kurenai came in, soon followed by Kakashi and Guy. Guy was trying to make a bet with Kakashi but he was ignoring it. The last person to arrive was Jaraiya. She had a serious look on her face so they became silent.

"I received a message from Suna not long ago requesting assitance." She noticed Naruto get extremely serious, his usually closed eyes were open to show serious blue eyes. "They were attacked by sound last night and the whole city is almost gone. They have asked for assitance with search and rescue. You need to leave immediately for Suna." She looked to the strips of paper. "He suggests you keep these on your person. Shizuna handed out the strips of paper and Naruto looked at it, the Kyuubi whispering to him.

"A ptotection ward?" he whispered almost silently and the others looked to him.

"What is it, Naruto?" Tsunade asked.

"The kyuubi recognizes this from his last life." He looked over the lines on the paper. "It is a protection ward. It keeps it's bearer from greivious harm. Mikos and monks are able to make them and imbue them with power." He sighed. "I know the one that made this, as does Ino, Sakura and Kakashi."

"That woman?" Ino asked. Naruto nodded.

"You saw what the kyuubi shows me." She shuddered. She had seen so much blood in that woman's memories. "We need to leave now then," Naruto said.

"I want the truth when you get back, Naruto," Tsunade heard.

"It isn't my story to tell," he remarked but they left anyways.

Hospital in Suna

It had taken hours just to deal with the first group of people. They were in recovery now being looked after by the medical nin. She Was getting food and water now before she went back to work. It would keep her energy levels up before takes the first of her draughts. She finished quickly and moved back to the emergency room where they had more people being wheeled in. She got back to work, not expecting any further rest until every last person was seen to. Her body would be sore and tired when the end came.

With Gaara

He watched Kagome work from a distance, her guard keeping her from collapsing a few times. He knew she was tired, but none of his nins have been able to heal like she could. They could not undo the damage like she could. It had been hours since the reply came from Tsunade. She had sent sixteen people and they would get here as fast as they could.

He sighed. Suna could have been destroyed last night and none would have known about it, but Kagome had saved him and had pushed Orochimaru back. They needed her help now. She might just have all the answers to their problems. But sound had to be destroyed before Suna was destroyed, and the only way to destroy sound was to kill Orochimaru and Kabuto, and possibly Sasuke. Sasuke was Naruto's best friend and knowing Naruto, he would be devestated if Sasuke died.

With Naruto

He was in front of the group, trying to get them to go faster. They had to help Suna. There was a possibility of people dying if the didn't get there in time. He could see the desert ahead of them. They hadn't stopped, but he knew they should take a brief stop to eat and drink. He stopped and they followed his lead, taking out a ration of water and food. They ate it quickly enough before starting across the desert. They could see a sand storm but it seemed to move around them so they continued on and passed sound, who were trapped in the sand storm.

It took a few more hours to cross the desert, and they made it into Suna just as the sun started to set. They were shown to where the Kazekage was, which was the hospital.

They could see a single woman working on the injured, the medics just moving the healed to be replaced with another injured. SHe wiped the sweat from her forehead before moving to the next person.

"How come the others and helping?" Hinata asked quietly.

"They can't heal this type of damage," Shikamaru answered as he walked into the room with Temari. He had been looking through rubble for survivors with Temari and Kankuro. "They had tried, but she is the only one with knowledge and the power to heal this type of damage." He watched her move to the next person again, and when the whole room was healed, she sighed and pulled something from a bag that was set off to the side. She uncorked the glass bottle before downing the contents. She seemed re-energized and got to work on the next group of people that had been rushed into the room.

"Glad you all made it here unharmed," Temari said. "Now you can help us look through the rubble. I am sure Gaara has your assignments."

Gaara made his way towards them, and noticed that not a scratch was on them. "Glad to see you went unharmed," he said as he looked over the group. "I have split you into four groups. Hinata you are with Shino, Kurenai, and Chouji. Neji, you are with Tenten, Lee and Guy. Naruto you are with Kakashi, Sai and Jaraiya. That leaves Kiba, Atsuma, Ino and Sakura. I want you to work in opposite corners and work inward. My nin are at your disposal." They nodded and moved out to start working on finiding those still trapped in the rubble.

With the women and children of the village

The women took to cooking large amounts of food for the village. It was all they could do since they were not nin. The children were helping them as much as they could. Kiyomei was supervising. She had made sure Kagome's home, which was without damage, was clean and the plants she was growing was watered before going back to helping with the food. Once food was made, they had sent groups of children out to giv eout the food to the searching nin, and the nin in the hospital. It was what kept their minds off of their family members that they hadn't heard from. They were hoping for the best but were fearing the worst. They had seen the Konoha nin that had taken to helping them. It brought tears to their eyes that they would have assistance, even if the number was few.

Author's Note: I had divided the teams that way because, Neji and Hinata have their family ability, Kiba should be able to sniff them out as well as Naruto. There will be more to come soon, hopefully.


	10. Barrier

Chapter 10: Barrier

Kakashi thought there could be an easier and faster way to look for everyone and so had summoned his ninkin. They had spread out and had gave the alert whenever they found someone before starting to dig through the rubble. they had been making progress, though some of the people they found were dead. It was a sad sight to see. Young nin, no older than Naruto being squished to death by rubble trying to save someone else. Underneath a few of the bodies there was someone barely alive, the nin body acting as a barricade to keep the person from dying.

It was gruesome work, but they were ninja. They couldn't be soft. As soon as someone was pulled from the rubble, a signal would be sent off and a medic nin would appear to take the person to the hospital to be taken care of. It was tiring work, but the women and children had given them food to eat before they went back to work. It was by mid day the next day that they had searched half of the rubble. There were quite a few dead and they were taken to the morgue for identification. Some families were losing their loved ones. It would be hard for Suna after this.

With Kagome

She ate the soup the child offered before getting back to work. It had been a grueling day so far and the hospital was almost completely full. They were still waiting for some of the earlier seen to nin to wake up. They would need their help and the room. She had heard that the Konoha nin had come to assist in the search. She was glad that they had some help. It would save more people that way.

She just brushed the sweat from her brow and went back to work. The flood of patients wasn't as big as at the start. It was both sad and joyous for her, sad because she knew that some had died, and joyous because soon the searching would be over, then they could start rebuilding.

Two more people had been rushed in. One was a bay that had been saved by a nin. The nin was almost completely crushed, but was still holding onto life. The child was crying. She quickly scanned the baby and saw no major damage. One of the other nin could heal the child, but she had to start healing the nin.

"The baby has minor injuries, can you see to him while I heal the nin?" She asked of one of the nins. She nodded and focused on the baby while she went to work on the nin.

"I apologize, but this is going to hurt. There is no way around it." She forced her healing power into his body and he gave a heart shattering cry as her powers forced his bones to mend and stitched his lungs closed after forcing blood out of them. He had fallen unconscious but teverything life threatening had already been healed. She easily healed his remaining injuries before a nin came and whelled him away.

With Gaara

He had checked on the progress to see that they were just finishing up. When the clean up started, he had no doubt that they would find more dead bodies among the rubble. He knew Kagome had to be tired by now. She had been healing people for a day straight now, only stopping to eat and drink something from a glass jar and to relieve herself. The Konoha nin had met in the middle and looked relieved when the searching was done. He could not sned them back yet. He needed their help with the clean up and the rebuilding.

"Report," he said to them.

"We found several dead, and just as many injured. The last survivor is being seen to now," Temari said. "The search and rescue team are taking a break to recover energy and to eat. They are waiting for further orders as well." He nodded.

"Bring Kagome to me when she has finished seeing to everyone." He started heading back to his tower. It had not been attacked. It was moments later that she walked in, looking exhausted and half dead. Her guard stood ready to catch her should she collapse. She took the jar out and downed the contents in two gulps. She looked slightly rejuvenated.

"I am lifting your probation," he said as he looked at her. She seemed surprised. "I need your help." He sighed. "The wards you provided have come in handy. It saved him and from what the nins from Konoha have said, it guided them through the sand storm and kept sound from detecting them. There is also a merchant that has the same strip of paper. Sand storms cleared from before him and his wagon. Sound did not detect him, and rubble had been deflected from crushing him without explanation." The guard was surprised. "I know you know of a way to protect Suna. You know how to protect people. We need your aid now." She sighed.

"I knew this moment would come," she said as she sat down. "What I need is in my house. I can have it ready in a few moments." He nodded. She bowed to him before leaving the guard not following her.

"Am I making a mistake?" Gaara asked him.

"I do not believe so," he commented. "Many in the village trust her, you should as well. Naruto trusts her as well." Gaara sighed. "Do not let your past cloud your future." He bowed to Gaara before leaving as well.

With Naruto

He sighed as they waited. It was horrible to look at what had happened. So many had died but they were able to save just as many people. He leaned against a house that was still standing and his eyes widened as he saw Kagome. She was tired but she was making quick progress towards the edge of town to the only house in that area that was still standing. He followed after her and watched as she moved to her room from a window. She came back down several moments later with a bag with her. She moved to the back and he could hear running water. She moved back to the door quickly and he followed her back to the Kazekage tower.

He followed her to Gaara's office. He was silent but he knew she was ignoring him for the time being.

"We can start now," she remarked. Gaara nodded and they left the office. She first made her way around the tower, placing strips of papers on the wall. Each strip was given energy and something shimmered briefly before vanishing again. She made her way to the hospital and did the same thing. She then moved to the walls of Suna. She placed them equa-distance from each other. This was the longest part of it since the walls of Suna were vast. With the last strip, there was an even greater shimmer and what seemed to be a dome around Suna that vanished just as quickly.

"I have placed a barrier around the village and the tower and hospital. This barrier is not like most barriers. It will let your people out and in and those you have an alligance with, those that mean harm cannot find Suna, not even if they already know where you are. To them it will be like Suna never existed, only seeing a vast desert where Suna should be." Gaara nodded.

"Rest. You need it." She nodded as she made her way out of the tower, NAruto still following her. She had found the merchant.

"My ward found you then?" She asked as she looked at the man.

"Your ward?" She nodded and he pulled out the ward. "It saved me."

"That is its sole purpose," she said. She smiled. "You wouldn't happen to have any seeds on you, would you?"

"I do, but it isn't likely that they will grow here. The environment is much to harsh for them."

"I would like to purchase them for you. I have an amazing green thumb and could get anything to grow." She smiled at him.

He scratched his head but headed into his wagon and pulled out the seeds he had. "If you start growing them, I could lose business."

"I assure you, it would be for personal use for me and the restaurant I work at. I will even buy some produce from you now." She was exhausted but it would be great to have a variety of food to choose from. She pulled a pouch with money from her bag. She picked out quite a bit of produce and pulled money out. She handed it to him and he gave her the produce.

"Take the seeds as a thank you from me. I would have lost business and my life had it not been for you." She nodded and moved quickly to her home. She was dead tired and sleep sounded great right about now.

Naruto watched her collapse on her bed and made his way into her house. It was bare of a lot of furniture, more so than his apartment. He moved to the kitchen to see the basic dishes and a spare room off to the side. He entered the well lit spare room to see several potted plants. They looked like herbs for cooking. He was told it was impossible to grow such things in Suna but she had done it. They were large bushes just waiting to be trimmed and added to food. He looked in the back to see targets and a sparing dummy as well as a clothes line. There was even grass starting to grow in what was dry dirt. From all of this, he knew she was in touch with nature. Why else would things like this grow when the rest of town was dry with no grass of any sort but weeds.

'Mama was always special,' the kyuubi whispered to him. 'People had no choice but to be drawn to her. She is the child of the kami. They blessed her with power that no one will ever truly understand.' Naruto believed too. She just felt different from everyone else. He could sense the change in the air. It wasn't a bad change either. She was brought to this world for a reason.

With Gaara

He sighed as he started back at his paperwork. It was going to be a long next couple of days. He already had them clearing away the debris. Personal possesions and that which wasn't part of the building was being seperated and moved to a different location. The owners would be able to claim it later. The material that was part of the building was being processed and broken down to be used as part of the building again. They couldn't have waste in the village. Once a substantial part of the village was cleared, they would start building again. For now the people were being set up in the caves at the end of the village. They had food and beds situated in the area and the women and children would be taking shifts on cooking while the men went to clearing and building. The people that had not lost their homes had offered up places to stay for their friends. He was not out of a home but Kankuro and Temari were. They would be staying in the tower with him.

The guard he had watching over Kagome had joined the others in clearing away the rubble. There was not currently enough people to stand guard so everyone had been told to have their guards up. They would have night watches though. They were going to be their most vulnerable at night and there was no telling if what Kagome had done would be successful. Only time would be able to tell them if it worked or not. He hoped he could actually find sleep tonight.


	11. Progress

Chapter 11: Progress

Gaara looked at the progress that had taken place within the past few days. About a quarter of the rubble had been sorted through and cleared. He hadn't seen Kagome at all during that time, but she had told him she would be asleep for a few days to allow her body to recover. She had done a lot for the village.

He sighed as he looked towards the entrance of the village. No one had come through the gates and so far, there hadn't been any attacks from sound. He was thinking that perhaps the village could do with a change of layout. It would be a good time to do it, since they had to rebuild anyway. He was looking at the village map. He had copied the outline and where the hospital and Kazekage tower were. He wanted to have a square near the entrance that could be used for merchants. The perimeter of the square would be shops and hotels. Behind the shops and hotels, the houses and apartments would be set up. The farms would remain where they were, which was at the back of Suna.

He showed it to the architects and they nodded their consent. They would start as soon as more rubble had been cleared away. He looked through a few of the messages he had from Konoha and a few other villages, as well as reports from his ninja. It was always so much paperwork.

With Kagome

She groaned as she finally opened her eyes. Her body was slightly sore but it was expected after what had happened. She just stood and stretched her muscles out before moving down stairs. She first checked on her plants to see that they were doing well. She watered them and then moved to the kitchen, where she made herself something to eat from the produce she had purchased. It was a nice change. Then she pulled on her sandals and proceeded out of her house. The sun was bright and it was hot out. She went to where she could feel Kiyomei and Kanamei. They both seemed fine and it seemed Kiyomei was cooking with the other women.

"Kagome!" The woman ran and hugged her. "I was worried when I hadn't seen you for a couple of days."

"I had to recover," she said as Kiyomei pulled back from her. "All the healing took it's toll on me." Kiyomei nodded.

"Gaara is having everyone go through the rubble. There is a large amount of the dead, and it is starting to stink up the village," Kiyomei said. "No one has had time to identify the bodies, so he has put off taking care of the dead bodies."

"I should probably take care of it. People will get sick if the bodies aren't taken care of soon." Kiyomei nodded and watched Kagome walk towards the tower.

Kagome entered the Kazekage's office to see him looking through paperwork. "Gaara-sama," she started and he looked up at her.

"You are awake now." His heart seemed to lighten.

"That isn't why I am here. If the bodies aren't taken care of soon, disease can spread."

"The bodies haven't been identified yet," he remarked. "It would be hard for people if the did not know if their family was dead or not."

"I will take care of it. I just need access to the basic information of the citizens."

"I can't just..."

"I'm going to set their souls to rest and inform the families. I will be cremating everyone. Land is valuable right now. We do not have enough of it to bury everyone." He seemed to sigh. "I do not want their to be an epidemic if it can be prevented."

"Very well." He provided her a stack of papers. It had the pictures of everyone, as well as their names and information of their families. It also listed identifiers that could be found if their faces were completely destroyed.

"Thank you." She took the information and headed towards the morgue. She entered to see countless bodies. She started with the bodies that were mostly intact. She looked at the woman's face and had identified her almost immediately from the pictures provided. She numbered the body and circled the picture and placed the number to correspond with the body before continuing on. She noticed the woman was missing a majority of her right arm. It said that the woman had a tattoo on her forearm. She looked through the pile of limbs and found the woman's arm and numbering it before placing it with the body.

She went on for several hours just looking through the dead bodies. She had gotten used to it during her travels in the feudal era. She had buried many people. But now, she would be cremating them and blessing them. There had been a number of sound bodies and she had them placed off to the side. She had a few nin working with her and she had directed them to burn the bodies and to place the ashes in seperate jars and to label them with who was in it. Half of the bodies were taken care of, excluding the sound bodies. The bodies were organized already, but the cremation was going to take a while. She was provided a wagon and she loaded the urns into it to start the heart breaking task of informing the families. She would bless the ashes and put the souls to reach with the family to give them some closure. She would ask Gaara if she could make a monument for the dead somewhere in the village where people could pay their respects.

She stopped and looked at the first urn in her hand before approaching the elderly couple that had two children with them. She sighed and found the other urn that she needed to give them. She stopped in front of them and they almost knew immediately from what she held in her hands. "I am sorry for your loss," she whispered as she handed the family the two urns. She said a prayer with the family and blessed the ashes. The family broke down and started crying. The children were orphans now, losing their mother and father in that attack.

She continued on, giving the ashes of dead mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughter, and grandparents to devestated family members. She blessed every single one and put to rest the souls. It broke her heart to see so many people sad over the death of their family members. It had taken her hours to get the first set of urns taken care of.

With Naruto

He had gotten back to work, but could see Kagome walking around the village with a wagon. He had watched as she called one of the ninja to her to deliver what seemed to be bad news. The male had broke down and cried as he was told his pregnant wife had died. She glowed briefly before leaving the man with words of wisdom, stating his wife wanted him to live on. It was sad to watch so he went back to work. He had unearthed another corpse amoungst the rubble and the body was taken to the morgue to be identified.

The kyuubi told him that he had seen this kind of stuff with Kagome when they traveled. He had even told him of a time where they had stayed a while at a village just burying the dead of an entire village that had been attacked by demons, and how Kagome and a monk had blessed the village and set the restless souls at peace. He had been a kit then. He had been forced to grow up quickly when Kagome had been pulled from their world to here.

With Gaara

He had finished his paperwork and made his way to the morgue to see that the only bodies left were those of sound. There were urns on shelves and he looked at the label on one of them. It was Ebizo, Chiyo's brother. He picked up the urn and sighed. He had seen Chiyo in the tower. He decided he was going to tell her himself. He turned to see Kagome entering with the wagon.

"Come. You can continue after this is taken care of." She nodded and looked to the sound corpses. "Have the sound corpses cremated and cast into the desert," he told the others. "I don't care how you do it."

"Their souls have been put to rest so no harm should come to us," Kagome said and the nin nodded before doing as they were told.

He could tell she was following him. He made it to Chiyo and sighed heavily. "Chiyo-baasama," he said and she looked to him. He held forward the urn. She took it with a sad sigh.

"He knew his death was coming," she commented off handedly. She looked at the urn. "He wouldn't stop ranting about it."

"If you want, I can bless his ashes and lay him to rest," Kagome offered the old woman. She nodded and Kagome proceeded with the ritual she knew by heart. There was a glow and she looked to Chiyo. "He wants you to know that you were the best big sister anyone could ever ask for, even if the two of you argued all the time." Chiyo chuckled. "He wants you to continue to live and to remember him fondly." Chiyo nodded and the tears finally fell. She silently cried. She was the last one left of her family. She should have been the first one to die.

"Thank you," her old voice whispered. She held the urn fondly.

With Orochimaru

He was seething from the loss of his arm. Kabuto was just as injured as he, with a hole through his stomach. Their medics had little to no effect on their injuries. The woman was proving powerful and he was finding it hard to capture her. Sasuke had been unsuccessful, as had Kabuto and himself. Perhaps that Naraku character would be able to capture her. He seemed to know a lot about her.

He approached the room Naraku was in, to see the man completely recovered, when he had still missed his legs hours ago. He would have demanded an answer but the man was smirking at him.

"She did quite the number on you," Naraku commented as he took in Orochimaru's form. "It's to be expected."

"What is she? No one here has been able to do what she had."

"She is a miko." He smirked. "To have been purified by her, must mean you are tainted."

"You will capture her," Orochimaru said.

"There is no way for you to contain her or her power," Naraku said. "It would be pointless to capture her if you cannot control her." He could tell that his power was still a bit depleted. He would have to rest or he would have to absorb a few more tainted beings. "As it stands, I do not have the reserves to fight her yet. It will take time and preparation."

"I do not have time," Orochimaru seethed.

"There is always time." He watched Orochimaru storm out of the room.


End file.
